LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY)– Nationwide, about 700,000 children suffer from childhood abuse or neglect. This means that one in five children are affected by some form of abuse.

Crystal Dubose, Director of Care Management at Our Lady or Lourdes Women’s and Children’s Hospital, says there were 46,000 reports of child abuse or neglect in the state of Louisiana.

Because April is Childhood Abuse Awareness month, Our Lady of Lourdes has planted pinwheels to spread awareness of this statistic.

Dubose says childhood abuse and neglect affects victims both physically and emotionally. Children may present with unexplained bruises, whelps, marks, malnutrition, and altering of the brain.

Although the pinwheel campaign is to promote awareness, Dubose says reporting suspected abuse is another way to save children from harmful circumstances.

“It’s better to report it and have it investigated than to leave something that may truly be going on and allow that child to spend years in a very bad situation,” said Dubose.