Your story is your glory. My boss, Karen Haring—founder and executive director at the nonprofit Libera—loves that saying. Personally I’m fond of an offshoot of this idea: “Your mess is your message.” These two sayings took on new meaning for me recently when… I volunteered as a “Listener” at a body safety assembly in a
In America, at least one in 10 children will be sexually abused by the time they are 18. Sweet girl. Oh, no… I’m so sorry. Did they call you that? I should have been more careful with my words. Please forgive me. I will only refer to you by your name moving forward. Here’s what
Question: How are you protecting your children during the pandemic situation we’re currently experiencing? During the pandemic, child abuse statistics have fallen. In West Virginia, and no doubt, all 50 states. You may think that’s a good thing. I did. But it’s not a good thing. Over half of all reports of child abuse are
So this week, in the interest of protecting children from sexual abuse, I did a thing. I told my story—you know, the icky one—to a group of community care providers, many of them practicing counselors. My co-presenter was Robert Peters, founder of SHIELD Task Force, Senior Cyber and Economic Crime Attorney with the National White
(Anonymous) Guest Post As the mother of a child who was sexually abused by her father, I frequently find myself being asked questions that I consider…well… odd. But to the Foreigner [the word I use to describe someone who has no idea of the pain we’ve lived through, and praise the Lord, will never
When I was little, I invented a way to prevent childhood sexual abuse. Because I was experiencing it. Before you read about my sexual abuse solution, check out these statistics*: Nearly 70% of ALL reported sexual assaults happen to children 17 and under. 1 in 10 children will be sexually abused before age 18. Children
April is National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month. As a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, this topic is very important to me. And since one in four girls and one in six boys will be sexually abused before the age of 18 (according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), this issue should
The second-floor room was not only packed, it was also stuffy despite the droning efforts of a small I-think-I-can-I-think-I-can window air-conditioner. Knowing anything can happen at a public open-mic event—dreadful poems about cats or pizza, 5,000 words delivered in a monotone—I considered the exit. Beside me, a writer pal rested her hand on my thigh.
“Why Didn’t You Tell Someone?” Yeah…no. Don’t ever ask that question of a sexual abuse survivor. From experience, I can honestly say that question will cause the victim to feel more like they’re being blamed than supported. It’s as if you’re saying, “You messed up,” rather than, “I’m here for you.” So what should you say
I never had the “Birds and Bees Talk” with my parents. You know, the often awkward conversation about how tiny human beings are created. Instead, one morning as I made my bed, I spied something poking out from between the mattress and box springs—an illustrated manual of male and female anatomy with brief, scientific explanations
