I’m encouraged and grateful that so many of you have taken up the call Silence Is The Enemy.
Since launch yesterday, Arikia Millikan has volunteered to create a central website (I’ll share the url when it’s live) and reader Christine set up a facebook group, which already swells with over 1,100 members. There have been a deluge of excellent blog posts, including one by Nicholas Kristof–author of the NYTimes piece that inspired me to act. I’ve been most touched by your emails of personal stories, making it clearer than ever that sexual abuse continues to be dramatically under reported here in the United States as well.
Our blogger coalition grows every hour and more bloggers have joined us in donating all June revenue to Doctors Without Borders. Since income is determined by traffic, readers can contribute with each click to:
The Intersection
On Becoming A Domestic And Laboratory Goddess
Aetiology
Neurotopia
Bioephemera
The Questionable Authority
Adventures in Ethics and Science
DrugMonkey
Blog Of The Moderate Left
Seattle Grassroots Examiner
We’ll continue posting stories, updates, and progress (as well as regular Intersection topics) throughout the month. Tremendous thanks to all who have joined the initiative so far. In less than 24 hours, we’ve started to create momentum.
..and this is only the beginning.
June 2nd, 2009 at 11:45 am
please add me to the blogger coalition. I applaud you for your bravery in telling your story.
June 2nd, 2009 at 3:23 pm
My blog doesn’t generate any revenue, but I’m with you in this cause and will personally donate to Doctors Without Boarders. Sexual abuse is a global problem. It is the silent violence, sometimes explicitly sanctioned (in Berlin post wwii, now in Liberia), sometimes legally sanctioned (nearly so recently by Afghanistan). I am glad and grateful that in the west it is at least illegal and at least overtly condemned, but it is still rampant.
Some stats:
from University of Victoria’s Sexual Assault Centre:
” * 1 in 3 females and 1 in 6 males in Canada experience some form of sexual abuse before the age of 18.
* 80% of all child abusers are the father, foster father, stepfather or another relative or close family friend of the victim.
* Incestuous relationships last 7 years on average”
We educate our children about stranger danger; there are street proofing programs in the school, but 80% of abusers are relatives, female relatives as well (not mentioned in the quote above). I’ve only heard this talked about in undertones among the moms in the park; the majority of the conversation is about strangers.
Child abuse is the subject that common wisdom among publishers says doesn’t sell. Let’s change that. Let’s make it the topic of conversation, the thing we will not abide, and throw the shame where it belongs, to those who perpetrate this most intimate of violent criminal acts.
June 2nd, 2009 at 3:41 pm
I posted a link on my blog here.
June 2nd, 2009 at 5:18 pm
Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for taking action, raising awareness, and organizing a movement about this topic.
I am proud to add my blog to the list.
June 2nd, 2009 at 5:51 pm
Sheril, you have been awesome pulling all of this together. Thanks so much – I’m proud to be a part of it!
June 2nd, 2009 at 10:53 pm
[...] Kirshenbaum’s remarkably successful initiative to draw attention to the plight of female victims in Liberia and throughout the world1 [...]
June 2nd, 2009 at 10:56 pm
[...] Kirshenbaum’s remarkably successful initiative to draw attention to the plight of female victims in Liberia and throughout the world1 [...]
June 3rd, 2009 at 8:10 am
Mass rapings of girls across the globe?
GET OFF MY INTERNET!
1. mass genital mutilations of young MALES
2. mass conscription of MEN
3. corporal punishment only for MEN
4. no child custody after a divorce for MEN
5. MALE homosexuality illegality
ARE WHAT REALLY OUTRAGE ME!
June 3rd, 2009 at 8:44 am
Thank you Sheril, for your courage in speaking about your own experiences as well as the worldwide problem of sexual abuse. The effects are devastating to survivors, friends, and relatives.
My blog now links here. It doesn’t generate much money, or much traffic for that matter, but every link helps.
Thanks also to Doctors Without Borders. They’re getting my support too.