Capt. Michael MacNicholl, Naval Station Rota commanding officer, signed a proclamation officially declaring April 2018 as Child Abuse Prevention Month during a brief ceremony at the base Child Development Center, April 9.

This year's theme is "Strong Communities Strengthen Families: Be Informed. Be Attentive. Be Supportive." It focuses on strong, nurturing communities that are supportive of families that get involved and play a role in preventing child abuse and neglect while promoting child and family well-being.

"Child abuse is incompatible with the Navy core values," said MacNicholl. "This proclamation that I'm about to sign has a lot of things that we shouldn't be doing but it also states a lot of resources that we can use to prevent child abuse. Whether it's using the numerous resources at the Fleet and Family Support Center to equip our families with the tools they need during stressful situations or many fun things at the Youth Center to give our children that stimulating environment. There are so many resources at our fingertips to keep child abuse from happening."

According to the Child Abuse Prevention Proclamation, effective child abuse programs succeed because of partnerships created among leadership between social service agencies, schools, faith communities, civic organizations, law enforcement agencies and the Navy community recognizing that children deserve our utmost protection and care and that they have a fair chance to thrive.

April is also the Month of the Military Child, which makes it an optimal time to reflect on our commitment to support and strengthen military families while focusing on the importance of creating a safe and nurturing environment for children.

It takes a village to raise a child and we all play a key role in that village.

For more information, call the Family Advocacy Program representatives at Rota's FFSC at 727-3232 or visit them on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ffsc.rota/

For more information, visit www.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/usnavy, or www.twitter.com/usnavy.

For more news from Naval Station Rota, Spain, visit www.navy.mil/.