FRANKFORT, Ind. (WLFI) — People in Clinton County are fighting back against child abuse.

A crowd gathered outside the courthouse in Frankfort Thursday to put pinwheels around the building for National Child Abuse Awareness Month.  Pinwheels for Prevention is a nationwide campaign with the pinwheels representing children who were victims of abuse. Denise Barney helps abused children in the Frankfort area and said both adults and children need to know what abuse looks like. 

Barney is executive director of a child advocacy center in Frankfort called Quiton's House. She said getting people to talk about abuse is the first step to prevention.

"Children grow up in abusive homes and they don't even know that's not normal until they go somewhere else and find out this isn't the way it's supposed to be," Barney said. "We are making people aware that we're there and about what we do there and kids come forward with their stories."

Barney said she's seen abuse numbers go up in Clinton County in the last three years. She said this may be due to the increase in reporting to police.