April 20, 2022
MARSHFIELD – April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month and the Marshfield Child Advocacy Center (MCAC) is spreading a message of “No Hits. No Hurts." to help end child abuse in our communities.
The MCAC will be working to increase awareness about child abuse prevention by encouraging individuals and organizations to play a role in making communities a safer place for children and families.
“This April, the MCAC is kicking off a new program – No Hits. No Hurts. – to raise awareness about the harms of corporal punishment. We hope to encourage parents to stop using physical punishment and harsh words to discipline their children," said Dr. Kristen Iniguez, director of the Marshfield Child Advocacy Center. “Research has shown that children who are spanked at least once a month had 14-19% smaller brains in the important decision-making areas when compared to children who aren't spanked1. Physical punishment also leads to lower IQ scores2."
The Marshfield Child Advocacy Center has a long history of providing services for child victims of abuse and neglect and their families across northern and central Wisconsin. At the MCAC, children who are suspected victims of abuse or neglect receive coordinated, trauma responsive and compassionate services from a multidisciplinary team of professionals, including social workers/forensic interviewers, medical professionals, law enforcement, child protective services agents, victim advocates and others.
Marshfield Child Advocacy Center, based in Marshfield with a satellite office in Hayward, will support children in need throughout our service area with awareness efforts this month. To support the MCAC, you can donate here.
For more information about the Marshfield Child Advocacy Center, visit the website or listen to this podcast. To support Marshfield Child Advocacy Center, donate here.
1 Harvard Medical School found that kids who are spanked just once a month had 14-19% smaller brains in the decision-making area. These were children who remembered being spanked at least 12 times a year and once with a belt, paddle or brush, but were not injured or spanked in anger.
2 The University of New Hampshire found that American children who are spanked at ages 2-4 have 5 less IQ points than non-spanked children, even years later. Children spanked at ages 5-9 have 2.8 less IQ points.
