About 80 people gathered at noon Wednesday to stretch a blue ribbon around the DeKalb County Courthouse for Child Abuse Prevention Month.

DeKalb County Circuit Court Judge Robbin Stuckert addressed the line of ribbon-holders, thanking them for their support of child abuse prevention in the county.

The Illinois Department of Child and Family Services received 629 reports of child abuse and neglect in DeKalb County in 2003, she said.

“This does not include those cases only in the criminal justice system or those who suffer in silence because no one makes a call on their behalf,” Stuckert said.

The event was organized by Prevent Child Abuse Illinois, Family Service Agency of Illinois and the Children’s Home & Aid Society to increase public awareness and urge people to report child abuse.

“Children aren’t full-fledged citizens, and they can be taken advantage of – and people do,” said Chris Gough, director of the center for counseling at the DeKalb Family Service Agency.

“[Child abuse] is pretty prevalent, considering many instances of abuse go unreported , and there are patterns of abuse that haven’t even been identified,” Gough said.

After stopping at nine northwest Illinois counties in April, the team will present the ribbon that they stretched around the courthouses to Gov. Rod Blagojevich in May.

The Blue Ribbon Campaign began 15 years ago in Virginia when Bonnie Finney attached a blue ribbon to the antenna of her van in honor of her grandson who had been killed.

Since then, millions of people have participated in the campaign, according to Prevent Child Abuse Illinois.

“A lot of people don’t know they can prevent it,” said Peggy Carey of Prevent Child Abuse Illinois.

Her organization recommends that people assist stressed parents by giving them a break and watching their kids, promote services to help families and nurture their own children.

Prevent Child Abuse Illinois has coordinated Hands Around the Courthouse in DeKalb County for the past three years.

Bethany Hurst, a senior family and consumer science major, said she came out to help stop ignorance of child abuse.

“It’s important to get the word out,” Hurst said. “People don’t know enough about it.”