The Darkness
You may have heard about a young man named Bill Zeller, a 5th year graduate student at Princeton University, who recently took his own life, leaving behind a heart wrenching suicide note describing how sexual abuse haunted him and kept him in endless darkness. Steve Collins, President of Adults Protecting Children, and a trained Darkness to Light facilitator and instructor, wrote about this tragedy and what actions we as adults can take to save children from the darkness of child sexual abuse. Read Steve’s newsletter …
Walkin’ to End Child Sexual Abuse
Willie Nelson famously sang “Walkin’ is better than running away, and crawling ain’t no good at all.” Odd as it may sound, when I was sent this article about Louis Michael Figueroa, an Arizonian who has put over 7,500 miles on his New Balances to raise awareness about child abuse, it was Willie Nelson that popped into my head. Louis’ walk to fight child abuse is the perfect anecdote for Willie’s mantra. Louis, himself a survivor of child sexual abuse, has neither run from nor …
Are we more concerned about being groped by aiport security than we are about protecting our children?
What does it say about us as a society that we get this riled up over the TSA screening procedures yet there is no overwhelming outrage over the sexual violation of our children. “I feel dirty” said one woman on the news this morning after experiencing a pat down by the TSA. So imagine being a 7 year old fondled by someone you thought you could trust. It’s happening every day to thousands of children. Check out the facts for yourself - here is a …
“If I can make one good thing happen from this horrible thing then it was worth it…
Pam Giesick is a brave soul and today we thank her for using the events of her past to help protect more children from being sexually abused. Every day more brave souls speak up about the horrific abuse they endured as a child and the devastating impact it has had on their lives. Did you see the 200 men sitting in the audience on Oprah’s recent show? Every one of them sexually violated as a child. When was the last time you asked your child …
200 Men Step Forward to Speak About Sexual Abuse – Watch Oprah November 5th and 12th
Shattering the stigma of abuse, 200 men are stepping forward and speaking out-some for the first time-about the trauma of their own childhood sexual abuse in a special two-part episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show. Tyler Perry, returns for a groundbreaking discussion on Friday, November 5, and Friday, November 12, as fathers, husbands, sons and brothers open up like never before about the pain of being molested, their anguish about hiding their pain and the many ways in which their abuse has affected their lives …
Oprah on Child Molesters: Joint Statement from Stop It Now! and Darkness to Light
We applaud Oprah for her ongoing efforts to prevent the sexual abuse of children. Parents watching this show may have additional questions about how to protect their children. Just as some people watching will want more information about where to go for help for themselves. Stop It Now! and Darkness to Light are advocating for all adults to prevent sexual abuse of children by learning practical steps to create the safe environment children deserve. Since 1992, Stop It Now! has been in conversation with families …
Tuesday Talking Point: A New Year, A New Direction
As we move into a new year, and indeed a new decade, we at Darkness to Light want to make sure that we’re not just working hard, but that we’re working intelligently. That is why, as Anne Says, we’ve undergone an organizational shift from an individual “training only model” to a “community wide training model.” We want to ensure that our PREVENTION efforts are comprehensive with the belief that once we can train 5% of the population in a community, that the law of Tipping …
Make 2010 a Safe Place For Kids!
By: Laura HuntNew Year’s resolutions can make a person nervous about whether they can achieve their goal? Why do I have the same goals each year? How about making a new resolution for 2010? Resolve to do your part to end child sexual abuse. Resolve to support prevention programs that help to educate and provide supportive services to children and families. Resolve to make 2010 a safe year for our children. The media coverage of missing and exploited children is at an all- time high. …
Tuesday Talking Point: Coach Sanders
Things have gotten backed up with the holiday season so today’s Tuesday Talking Point is one of our PSAs from a few years ago. This PSA ran on CNN and certainly provided people with something to talk about. We hope everyone is having a great holiday season, and thank you for your support in this, the first year of our blog!
Tuesday Talking Points: Mackenzie Phillips
Mackenzie Phillips was awarded Darkness2Light’s 2009 Voice of Courage award for her honesty in telling the story of her own childhood sexual abuse at the hands of her father, John Phillips of the Mamas and the Papas. This is her acceptance speech at our 2009 Circle of Light Gala. Thanks Again Mackenzie!
