April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month

Every April, organizations and communities across the country, including Catholic parishes and schools, participate in National Child Abuse Prevention Month. While dioceses work year-round to prevent abuse, during this month, a special emphasis is placed on the importance of learning how to protect the vulnerable from this evil.

These efforts are part of the ongoing work of the Church in the United States to carry out the  Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, a comprehensive set of procedures originally established by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in June 2002 for addressing allegations of sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy. The Charter also includes guidelines for reconciliation, healing, accountability, and prevention of future acts of abuse. It was revised in 2005, 2011, and 2018.