Continuing with our series of posts and podcasts in support of National Child Abuse Prevention month, I’m joined by returning guest, survivor, author, advocate, and friend, Svava Brooks.
In addition to her work with survivors in helping them overcome their past and embrace hope and healing, Svava is passionate about educating everyone on the importance of preventing child abuse. Her work with Darkness to Light, as a certified instructor and facilitator, has impacted countless people not only in North America but also in Iceland.
It’s easy to say that we should all do our part to help prevent child abuse, whether that’s sexual abuse, emotional abuse, or any other type of trauma that our children should never be subjected too, but how exactly do we go about it? What tools are there that are readily available for anyone in an easy to understand way? How do we begin the conversation of talking and educating our kids? How do we go about educating ourselves?
In this podcast, we discuss this very topic, and in particular, we deep dive into the 5 Steps of Protecting Our Children, as outlined by Darkness to Light.
- Learn the Facts
- Minimize the Opportunity
- Talk about it
- Recognize the Signs
- React Responsibly.
There’s no shame in admitting that this is not an easy subject to talk about, especially with younger children. Often times as adults, our parents never had this conversation with us. Especially for those who were raised by parents in a generation where this kind of thing wasn’t talked about, it can feel very uncomfortable in approaching this subject with our kids.
Perhaps you feel that this kind of thing doesn’t happen that much, or it never happened to anyone that you know? The statistics are staggering, and chances are that whether you realize it or not, someone you know has been affected by childhood sexual abuse.
According to D2L.org:
- 1 in 10 children will be sexually abused by age 18.
- There are 42 million survivors of childhood sexual abuse in the US alone.
- 90% of abused children know their abuser.
Those are certainly heartbreaking stats, and as a survivor myself, I am part of those numbers. If you are a reader of this blog, you may be a survivor as well or be close to someone who has been affected by this tragedy. On a side note, if you are the spouse, family member, or friend of a survivor, I encourage you to check out Heather Tuba; she has a blog filled with information and resources to help support those who support survivors.
Remember, it’s not only important to talk with our kids and educate them, but also to educate ourselves. The more we know, the more our children can know, and hopefully we can turn the tide of this pandemic issue. Our children and future generations depend on it.
I hope that this podcast with Svava encourages you, and leaves you feeling inspired to do as much as possible in support of not only the children of today but also future generations. If you’d like more information about Svava, her book, or to see if working with her is right for you, just head on over to Educate4Change.com.
-Matt
Pictures courtesy of Pixabay. Social Media images created by Matt Pappas.
