TOPEKA–Kansas Governor Sam Brownback, Attorney General Derek Schmidt and Kansas Department of Children and Families (DCF) Secretary Phyllis Gilmore were joined by dozens of children in Topeka, to highlight Child Abuse Prevention Month.

The event at the State Capitol Building involved the Pinwheels for Prevention campaign to call attention to child abuse prevention.

“Child abuse is preventable, but it takes everyone to do their part,” Governor Brownback said. “We have an obligation to Kansas children to keep them safe.”

Governor Brownback signed a proclamation on March 27, designating April as Child Abuse Prevention Month in Kansas.

The Pinwheels for Prevention campaign is an effort to change the way our nation thinks about prevention and how we can deliver on our commitment to Kansas children. The pinwheel serves as an uplifting reminder of childhood and the bright futures all children deserve.

“When a child is abused, it can have long-term consequences. We see generational transfer of the values or absence thereof that allow abuse to occur,” Attorney General Schmidt said.

During the last decade, Kansas has seen a 48 percent increase in the number of reports alleging child abuse or neglect.

“While that demonstrates that child abuse is still a serious issue in our communities, it also demonstrates that we as a state are doing a better job raising awareness and protecting children from further abuse,” Secretary Gilmore said.

Suspected child abuse and neglect can be reported by calling the Kansas Protection Center at 1-800-922-5330.