Doves soared out of central Albury on Friday as people remembered the importance of protecting children.
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Albury Council marked White Balloon Day on a smaller scale than previous years owing to coronavirus restrictions, but the key pillars of education and information remained.
For 10 years the council has joined the long-running Bravehearts campaign, which is dedicated to the prevention of child sexual assault and exploitation.
Albury mayor Kevin Mack, police and youth councillors released white doves into the air as a symbol of hope for abuse survivors while there was also live music, chalk art and merchandise sales.
Youth development officer Mandy Wilson said although missing the usual number of school students and Border services, the event remained significant.
"It's a major issue, child sexual abuse, and for us as a community it's about saying it's not OK, it's always going to be an issue," she said.
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"I think the stats say it all. One in six men and one in three women experience sexual abuse by the time they're 18.
"This is an open space in QEII Square, people sit here anyway for lunch so they can just grab some information, have something to eat and listen to some music."
The day also highlights available services such as Albury Community Health, headspace and police.
Last year Albury artist Tracie MacVean guided school children through a series of chalk pictures, but yesterday she drew them on her own.
"It's different, it's not harder, it's never hard, I think this can still have a very powerful message," she said.
"The main purpose is awareness so that people feel comfortable to talk about (child sexual abuse). It happens, how do we deal with it?"