People driving downtown may notice several pinwheels planted in front of Regina’s City Hall.
There’s 763 of them exactly, and they are in place to bring awareness to Child Abuse Prevention Month this month.
Holding Hope founder and president Sarah Labadie says child abuse is normally an uncomfortable topic to talk about.
“The pinwheel is this child-like and positive vibe and it just kind of reminds us of the childhood we want for all children,” Labadie said. “We wanted to demonstrate, recognize and just bring awareness to the amount of people who actually experience childhood abuse.”
Labadie says according to Stats Canada, one-third of the population will experience child abuse before their fifteenth birthday.
“So in Regina, that’s 76,309 people, and that’s a lot of pinwheels to try and get out,” Labadie said. “We have 763 (and) each pinwheel represents 100 people who will statistically be affected, and it just provides a visual for how vast the issue is.”
Labadie says child abuse isn’t addressed in schools in Saskatchewan until the seventh grade.
“One of the things we’re trying to do is just encourage parents, caregivers, and anyone who spends time with kids just to take this on themselves a little bit and just start those conversations,” Labadie said. “They can really be life changing.”
April 15 is considered Wear Blue Day. Labadie is encouraging people to participate to raise awareness of child abuse prevention.