Val Meola's Blog

How many people knew that April was National Child Abuse Awareness Month? It dawned on me yesterday, as it came to a close, that very little was said about it in the media. Not a single person I encountered wore the blue ribbon. What does it take to stir people out of denial about the fact that our children are being abused every single day? Statistics show that 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 6 boys are sexually abused before the age of 18. 70% never tell or report it and 90% is perpetrated by someone within the circle of trust. Why is so little mentioned about this pandemic? Why are people so afraid to address it? I welcome your thoughts on why and what you think can be done to reduce the numbers.

I have recently become an advocate for survivors of child sexual abuse. I am looking for ways to bring more mainstream media attention to the matter outside of the big scandals, like Penn State.
What can we do as individual to change the statistics that 1 in 3 girl and 1 in 6 boys will be affected by sexual abuse at some time in their life before age 18? What can we do to get people to recognize that this is happening right in our own neighborhoods, in our families and in many cases, right in our own homes? How do we break the silence?
These are just a few questions for us to think about when considering what role we can play in stopping this pandemic.
Your thoughts?