TOLEDO, Ohio — In 2022, 1,400 children in Lucas County were victims of child abuse or neglect, according to Lucas County Children Services. To spread awareness of abuse and neglect and to promote prevention, LCCS, WTOL 11 and other area sponsors are encouraging community members to participate in the 12th annual "Wear Blue Day" on Wednesday, April 12.
Participation in the campaign is simple: citizens who live, work, play and attend school in Lucas County can post pictures of themselves wearing blue to the LCCS Facebook page with the hashtag #OhioWearsBlue.
Organizers said the purpose of the campaign is to raise awareness that child abuse continues to impact youth in our community and it is everyone's job to identify abuse and keep children safe.
LCCS Chief Legal Counsel Shelby Cully told WTOL 11 in an interview on Good Day that the signs of child abuse and neglect may be subtle.
"It may be a small bruise to an area that is normally not an area that you would expect to be bruised," she said. "You may also see a child who is withdrawn; you may also see a child that does not appear to have their needs met."
In addition to Wear Blue Day, LCCS is holding other events to raise awareness. On April 27, LCCS will hold their annual Child Memorial at the Conference and Learning Center on Adams Street at 11 a.m. This event, in which Ohio Senator Paula Hicks-Hudson will deliver a keynote speech, will honor the 17 children lost since the last memorial in April 2022.
According to LCCS, eight of the children were victims of abuse and neglect, while the remaining nine were victims of community gun violence. Of the children lost to neglect and abuse, all but one was under the age of four; the teen victims of gun violence ranged in age from 14 to 17 years.
Compared to 2021, LCCS representatives said 2022 had fewer cases, but the problems represented were more serious and complex.
"...The number of children (12,571) and families (4,866) we served declined seven to eight percent from 2021," LCCS interim executive director Donna Seed said in a statement.
Additionally, LCCS reported substantiated victims of abuse/neglect following investigation decreased 23 percent in 2022; 29 percent more children left LCCS in 2022 and, of those, reunifications with family increased 49 percent and legal custody granted to a relative increased 42 percent.
LCCS also said substance abuse remained the most common reason for a case, representing more than half of all cases in 2022.
To report child abuse or neglect, LCCS can be contacted at 419-213-CARE (2273) 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To learn more, click here.
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