I am going off topic on my blog today to highlight a very important cause that I care deeply about.
www.12for12k.org is raising money to support the work of Stop the Silence – a nonprofit that is completely focused on the heartbreaking work of dealing with the sexual abuse of children.
As a mother and as a former educator, the care and protection of children has always been one of my foremost concerns. As an adoptive parent, I have also been quite aware of those children who wait for adoption because of the horrors that have occurred in their pasts, and the concern prospective parents have of their ability to parent those children.
From the 12for12k website:
“Across the world, 150 million girls and 73 million boys are subjected to forced sexual intercourse and other forms of sexual violence (WHO, 2002). In the U.S. at least one out of four girls and one out of seven boys are sexually abused by 18 years old. Nearly 50 percent of all sexual assaults are against girls aged 15 or younger. There are an estimated 60-80 million survivors of CSA in the U.S. alone.
Life outcomes often include poor school performance, depression, psychosis, promiscuity, teen pregnancy, prostitution, drug abuse, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV, homelessness, suicide and homicide, and chronic disease. Between doctors, lawyers, social service workers and many others, it costs the U.S. billions of dollars each year to address the aftermath of the abuse – it needs to be prevented, and treated correctly if it happens.
The Mission of Stop the Silence is to expose and stop child sexual abuse and help survivors heal worldwide. The charity’s overarching goals are to:
1) help stop child sexual abuse (CSA) and related forms of violence;
2) promote healing of victims and survivors;
3) celebrate the lives of those healed.
Through their work, Stop the Silence aims to address the relationships between child sexual abuse and the broader issues of overall family and community violence, and violence within and between communities.
While the popular belief is that sexual abuse is carried out by strangers who lure their child victims, the majority is actually carried out by people in positions of trust. Family; friends of the family; teachers; community leaders and more. This leaves the child feeling as if they’re to blame – why else would someone they trust abuse them in this way?”
The 12 for 12,000 Challenge is the combination of social media and fund-raising that aims to change the lives of millions worldwide. If you would like to donate to this cause and make a true difference in the lives of these children, please visit: http://12for12k.org/
And please share this with your friends in your social media networks. Let’s put the power of social media to work, and do some good.
Thank you!
Direct Sales & Social Media 