More than one million children are abused each year in America and in 2002 there were 19,836 reports of suspected abuse in Kern County. Since 1983, April has been designated as Child Abuse Prevention Month across the United States. On April 15, the Kern County Network for Children (KCNC) hosted “Call to Action,” a forum dealing with child abuse and its prevention. The event held at Bakersfield’s Holiday Inn Select brought together those in the community who can help eliminate child abuse, including individuals, schools, businesses, hospitals, religious organizations and social service agencies. Approximately 300 individuals from 40 community agencies attended. More