Signs and Symptoms of the Sexually Abused Child
Today, April 1st, is the 30th anniversary of Child Abuse Prevention Month. Blue ribbons and pinwheels–symbols for child abuse prevention–will be worn and displayed nationally. During this month, there will be a national campaign effort to educate and raise awareness for preventing violence against children. Programs, conferences, workshops, and thousands of volunteers will help educate families, children, organizations and communities on how to prevent childhood abuse and neglect, how to recognize the signs, how to empower individuals to report abuse.
In 2009, President Obama was the first United States president to proclaim April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Awareness about sexual assault began in the 1970’s with TAKE BACK THE NIGHT marches. And here we are, 40 years later, wearing our teal ribbons, still fighting to get it right.
As more people look child abuse, sexual assault, and domestic violence in the face, we WILL get it right!
The first thing that develops in children is their brain–where they memorize everything that is done or said to them. ~ Mandy ~
50% of all childhood abuse is reported to school personnel. Education in schools is critical. ~ Mandy ~
This is Human Trafficking Awareness month.
Rachel Lloyd shares her personal story about her escape from working in the commercial sex industry in “Girls Like Us: Fighting for a world where girls are not for sale”. She talks about sexually abused children often losing their sense of physical boundaries and how this can skew their reality of place, importance, and approval in the world other than offering their bodies in trade.