Countywide : Child Abuse Is Focus of Education Effort

After a record year in reported child abuse cases in the county, the Child Abuse Council of Orange County this month will have various panels at high schools and colleges to discuss how to detect and prevent child abuse.

According to the council, Orange County reported a record 34,259 cases of neglect or sexual, physical or emotional abuse of children in 1991--up 20% from the 28,364 cases reported the year before.

Child abuse “is such a prevalent problem that it’s more important, now than ever, for everyone to get involved and learn more about it,” said Deborah Vaswani, a member of the council’s executive board.

To do that, Vaswani said, the nonprofit council, whose members come from the private sector as well as more than 80 agencies in the county, developed educational programs to promote awareness among children and teachers at school.

“The whole point is to get people to take the first step, to report the abuse,” Vaswani said. “And, with so many groups and people working with the council to initiate outreach programs, we hope to lower the number of abuse cases.”

Many such volunteers who work with the council were honored at a banquet this week.

Jeanie Ming of Anaheim received the Child Advocate of the Year award. Ming is a certified pediatric nurse practitioner at Orange County’s Child Abuse Services Team and is also chairwoman of the council’s medical committee.

Cathy Campbell of Rancho Santa Margarita received the State Department of Social Services Certificate of Commendation. She is program director of the Child Abuse Services Team.

Kerri Rendon, 11, of Anaheim received a first-place award in the council’s countywide annual Prevention Month Poster Contest for children.