As a child, I had my voice taken from me because I was being sexually abused by a family member. There wasn't any support in the public school system that I attended, no after-school programs( after school was the time frame when I was molested), and I was too afraid to open my mouth due to being told that I would be killed and that because I was a kid, no one would believe me anyway. I had no knowledge of how predators groom their victims, body safety, or that I deserved to be protected because what was happening to me was criminal.

• Over 90% of CSA happens by a family member or by someone the family knows.
• 1 in 10 children will be sexually abused by the time they are 18 years old.
• 750,000 predators are scouring the internet every day seeking out a victim.

Child sex abuse was (and still is) a taboo subject to talk about, and we certainly didn't have any type of prevention education around CSA available. We also may believe that everyone, including children know that this is wrong and can't understand why a child wouldn't tell someone. Education about CSA is important fr children and adults! WE need this in our public schools so children can have a voice and be empowered to prevent and protect themselves from sexual abuse. It's our responsibility to make sure that children have the right tools!

I want to introduce you to Erin's Law.

This law requires that all public schools implement a prevention-oriented child sexual abuse program which teaches:

1) Students in grades preK – 12th grade, age-appropriate techniques to recognize child sexual abuse and tell a trusted adult

2) School personnel all about child sexual abuse

3) Parents & guardians the warning signs of child sexual abuse, plus needed assistance, referral or resource information to support sexually abused children and their families

https://www.erinslaw.org/erins-law/

This law has been passed in 37 states as of July 2019.

Michigan

"The bills allow schools to implement a program to educate and provide resources for students, staff and parents about the warning signs of sexual abuse as well as available resources and counseling for children affected. They also create a one-time task force to develop recommendations on how schools can best handle this education." michigan.gov

At A Courageous Voice (ACV), our mission is preventing and protecting children from child sexual abuse using evidence-based, educational tools to empower families to stop this violence. We offer our Kids Voices Matter prevention education curriculum  in schools and after-school programs, as well as our Stronger Together child sex abuse program for adults who serve in  youth serving organizations, parents and families to educate and raise awareness. ACV meets every Monday evening with our Safety Zone Teen Youth Group to go in depth about digital safety, body safety, mental health, social emotional learning, and much more to empower teens to have a safer and brighter future.

Our ask of you is that you will be open to learning more about CSA and make sure that your children have prevention education available to them. Child sex abuse doesn't discriminate: every race, gender, socioeconomic background and religion - it can happen to any child. For more information, please email us at info@acourageousvoice.org. Let's work together to protect children everywhere.