Pinwheels planted in honor of abused children


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SALT LAKE CITY — A group of children planted pinwheels instead of flowers Tuesday as part of an annual event that draws attention to child abuse prevention in Utah.

The Prevent Child Abuse Utah group hopes to reach more families this year to eventually eliminate the thousands of cases of abuse that occur in the state of Utah. The members of Prevent Child Abuse Utah want every child in our state to be free of violence and neglect.


We want to be there before the problems are big. We want to provide the primary prevention and help families that have a hard time.

–Trina Taylor


The students from Central City Recreation planted their pinwheels in a symbolic garden as a reminder of what happens to so many.

"We want to be there before the problems are big," said Trina Taylor, executive director of Prevent Child Abuse Utah. "We want to provide the primary prevention and help families that have a hard time."

In 90 percent of child abuse cases, the child knows or loves the abuser. 27 percent of these cases are sexual abuse and 23 percent are physical abuse.

The good news is that Prevent Child Abuse Utah members have reached 54,000 Utahns this year by educating families about parenting, teachers about recognizing and reporting cases of child abuse and teaching children how to find help.

The group has three safety rules for children.

Three safety rules for children

Three rules to follow to prevent child abuse:

  • Trust your instincts if you have a feeling that something is wrong
  • Say no
  • Get away

"The three safety rules are to trust your uh-oh feeling, that feeling you have instinctual that something is wrong," Taylor said. "The second safety rule is to say no and the third safety rule is to get away."

Taylor says the other important part of that equation is teaching parents to believe their children.

"So, it comes naturally they will follow those safety rules and talk to their parents," Taylor said. "Parents need to be willing to trust those safety rules no matter what."

Prevent Child Abuse Utah helped to plant 50,000 pinwheels last year and has set of goal of 75,000 this year.

Those interested in supporting the pinwheels campaign can visit the Prevent Child Abuse Utah website.

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