On Thursday, we wrote about Child Abuse Awareness Day and local groups involved with the Child Advocacy Center re-signed the Child Abuse Protocol. The protocol ensures counties implement best practices when investigating and treating child abuse and neglect cases.

The program had many speakers, including 2013 Miss America Mallory Hagan and Representative Randy Nix.

The event ended with children from Hillside Montessori singing “Light a Candle for Peace” and releasing 150 butterflies with attendants. Twin Cedars executive director Sheri Cody said the 150 butterflies represented the 150 Troup County children currently in foster care because of abuse.

The event was important, because as Cody said, Troup children matter. Children are innocent and need someone to stand up for them in cases of abuse.

The Child Advocacy Center operates at the Twin Cedars LaGrange location. The center works with local law enforcement, the district attorney’s office and Division of Family and Child Services on child abuse cases.

Children are referred to the CAC by DFCS or law enforcement. When children go to the center, they are given an advocate to help them through the legal processes.

Child abuse cases are not just sexual, but they can be physical or emotional. The center wants families to heal and to lock away offenders.

In a previous interview, CAC director Kim Adams said the average age of the children who go to the center are preschool to middle school.

Those involved in these agencies do important work to make sure justice is served and children can grow up to be stable and successful adults. Recognizing the day like this, while the attendants were adults, was for the children.

Releasing the butterflies not only symbolized that children are precious, but that with the help of the local groups and their continued backing, these children can be freed from their struggles. We hope that law enforcement, DFCS, the CAC and the district attorney’s office keep up their efforts so that more Troup County children who enter the center can be freed.