Osceola Leaders Join “MANicure Movement” During Child Abuse Awareness Month

April is National Child Abuse Awareness Month and this morning, Osceola County Sheriff Russ Gibson came together with other local law enforcement, government and business supporters at the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office for a MANicure in an effort to help Embrace Families end child abuse.

Unfortunately, ONE in FIVE children in the U.S. will experience abuse before the age of 18, and sadly FIVE children die every day as a result of child abuse or neglect. Child Abuse is a national health crisis and is an issue that needs to be talked about so that we can end child abuse and keep our children safe.

In Osceola, Orange, and Seminole counties Embrace Families is the lead nonprofit agency overseeing foster care, adoption, and other child welfare services. Its mission is to provide a safe and nurturing home for every child, free from abuse or neglect.

Embrace Families launched the MANicure Movement locally in 2017 to spark conversation about the public health crisis in a visual way. Embrace Families asked community leaders’ to paint their index fingernails in “prevention blue” to raise awareness that child abuse.

“When I look down at my hand and see the blue on my fingernail, I know that it represents one in five children that is going to be abused before the age of 18. We have to say ENOUGH is ENOUGH and we as a community must come together to make a difference. We have to do everything we can to protect them and preserve them and their future.”

Joy Chuba, Executive Director of the Children’s Advocacy Center Osceola addressed the room to educate the community on how they can take direct action to support the well-being of children, and how the CAC Osceola program helps victims and their families from the beginning of a child abuse investigation through their journey towards healing after the investigation has closed.

“The MANicure Movement is really about raising awareness, starting conservation and understanding that research is pretty clear that most of the child abuse instances are preventable with education and resources so we are here with the community to raise awareness and prevent child abuse from ever happening in the first place.”

Child abuse is a preventable crime and every child deserves a safe and loving environment, and with the help from organizations like Embrace Families and Children’s Advocacy Center Osceola children are finding a positive and special place away from the abuse and neglect. For more information please visit MANicureMovement.com.

Credit for this story goes to: Positively Osceola.