WHITE PLAINS, NY (April 1, 2026) — Westchester County District Attorney Susan Cacace inaugurated a pinwheel garden at the Westchester County courthouse to raise awareness about child abuse, commemorating National Child Abuse Prevention Month.
The initiative aims to highlight the prevalence and impact of child abuse. According to the National Children’s Alliance, 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 13 boys experience sexual abuse during their childhood. In 2021, 1,820 children in the U.S. died due to abuse or neglect, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Pinwheels for Prevention
Every Monday in April, DA Cacace’s staff will sell pinwheels in the courthouse lobby from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Each pinwheel is priced at $5, with a target of selling 407 pinwheels by month’s end, representing the child abuse cases prosecuted by the office in 2025. Proceeds will benefit the Sharing Shelf of Port Chester, providing essentials to low-income children.
“The common observation that children are resilient overlooks the deep scars left by child abuse, scars that often last for the rest of their lives,” Cacace said. “Child abuse affects a child’s growth, cognitive development, and behavioral characteristics well into adulthood.”
Ongoing Efforts
In 2025, Cacace’s office reviewed 6,246 reports from Child Protective Services and conducted 151 forensic interviews at the re-accredited Child Advocacy Center. Cacace emphasized the importance of early detection and intervention in child abuse cases to restore normalcy to victims’ lives.
“My office works 24/7 to combat the scourge of child abuse and bring abusers to justice,” Cacace stated. “We will never stop in our pursuit of keeping the children of Westchester safe from harm.”
This article was prepared with the assistance of AI tools under the direction and editing of Robert Cox.
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