Wearing purple to mark Child Abuse Awareness Day

People across the province and locally are wearing purple this Child Abuse Awareness Day.

A gathering, including Mayor Al McDonald and his unique purple suit, was held on a chilly and blustery 100 block of Main West this morning.

Executive Director of the Children’s Aid Society of the District of Nipissing and Parry Sound, Gisèle Hébert, says a success story involves ‘kin families’.

That’s where children are placed with other family members or a coach, or teacher, instead of the traditional foster home.

She says they’re seeing that kids do so much better with family and are focusing on increasing the number of kin homes.

“Kin families aren’t well-supported financially so there’s a lot of advocacy happening from a provincial level on that piece, but really proud of the fact that there are now 88 (kin homes) when typically there could have been a few, historically,” she says.

Hébert says just two or three years ago there were only about 24 kin homes.

Another awareness event goes tonight, with the lighting up of the Energy Park behind Memorial Gardens at dusk.

“It’s just to bring awareness to the entire community around child abuse prevention and encouraging everyone to get involved, if you see it, say it,” Hébert says.

She says people can call in anonymously, pointing out children are vulnerable and adults have a responsibility to keep kids safe.

(Photos by station staff)