Why Are So Many Blue Pinwheels Planted On The Ground In April? This Is What It Means

Have you seen a large number of blue pinwheels planted on the ground this April in sites like police stations, courthouses, government offices, schools and even some homes? People plant a garden of blue pinwheels during this month as a way of raising awareness for child abuse.

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, as per Child Welfare Information Gateway. Some folks also pin blue pinwheels on their clothes. It's symbolic of how every child deserves a fun, bright and happy life instead of abuse.

"We plant them, and honor the children and be happy about the fact that they are now safe and protected," Lauri Cothran of the Central Alabama Regional Child Advocacy Center says, as per Selma Times Journal. Child abuse is a serious and a sad issue but advocates want to commemorate the month through positive messages, hence the colorful pinwheels.

Across America, towns and cities hold their own commemoration ceremony in honor of abused children. These ceremonies are a way for communities to commit to building a safer environment for the future and lessen child abuse cases.

"We at the [Fallon] Police Department see positive actions today effect positive changes tomorrow," Sgt. John Riley said in a ceremony in Nevada, as per Nevada Appeal. "No one agency can or has the responsibility to do so."

Foster care worker Shannon Williams cites one in five neglected children become homeless as an adult and one in four will suffer post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Child abuse victims are also less likely to attend college or land a decent job by the time they reach age 24, as per Reflector.

Apart from the emotional effects of child abuse, kids also develop physical conditions. Worse, some turn to substance abuse as a coping mechanism. Child abuse affects not just the children but the whole community and it is through community efforts that these kids could turn their lives around.