What will it take?
I had a girl last week who had just disclosed sexual abuse after keeping silent about it for 2 years. When I asked her what made her tell the counselor that day, I thinking she was going to tell me because it was haunting her. Her response was a response I wish everyone could hear. “No one has ever asked me if I have been sexually abused and the counselor did.”
I cannot tell you what that does to me to hear that. I live in a world that does not educate kids about sexual abuse to give them the tools to protect themselves nor does anyone ask kids these questions. If we won’t educate kids then at least be asking kids, but NO we cannot even do that because I live in a society that looks the other way and ignores what is going on in our own communities, schools, back yards. So instead we continue to allow children to suffer in silence.
What is it going to take to change that? I keep asking myself and am still searching for that answer. I remember as a kid doing an assignment in school where we had to write about if we were President what would we do? Back then as an innocent kid I said I would fill the White House with a bunch of doggies and kittens.
Now I would answer that by saying I would pass a law that mandates every school public or private to be discussing sexual abuse with kids. Giving children the tools to protect themselves. We send people off to war to fight for our country every day. Imagine if we sent men and women off to war with no guns yet the enemies were fully loaded. You know the outcome and it would not be pretty. All our men and women would die. Well that is exactly what we do every day in America and I am sure in majority of other countries as well. We send our children off to school, to their friends, swimming lessons, soccer practice, camp, youth group, birthday parties, and many family celebrations over the year. Parents cannot have an eye on their children 24/7 so when we send our kids out the door or even in the room next door we are sending them out with no protection against these sexual predators. We fail to give children the knowledge of not keeping secrets, what a safe touch and unsafe touch is, and to report to someone immediately if someone tries to touch you in an unsafe place. Is it that difficult for teachers and parents to talk about this with kids? Parents and teachers seem to have no problem drilling into childrens heads not to talk to strangers so why not this talk. Majority of the time when a child is abused it is by someone they know and trust.
We cannot stop evil sexual abuse will continue on forever but we can step up and stop ignoring this evil and start sending children off protected with the knowledge of what to do. So if that moment ever comes they know not to stay silent and seek out help immediately. What will it take? How many more children have to be hurt? How many more innocences will be stolen?
