Hope for a better life??

I will not shut up, I will not maintain the code of silence, if I make you uncomfortable deal with it. I will no longer be quiet and fight demons on my own, my voice will be heard again and again. My voice will. resonate and multiply to be heard around the world

I will not live in silence, having no one understand me. I will not hide who I am, you may see me as a victim but you are wrong. I am a survivor, I am strong. I look into that which torments me and I face it head on. I have seen the ugliness of people at their worst, I have experienced utter selfishness from those that are supposed to care.

How many people do you know that can say that? I am a member of an exclusive club no one wants to be apart of. I am the person you didn’t know was abused, I am that statistic. That horror story you hear on the news and think, how horrible happened to me. It happened under the noses of teachers, nurses, doctors and other professionals. These people did nothing to protect me or stop it, I was only a child.

I did not know that what was being done to me was wrong. I did not realize it would damage my future and not give me a chance at a normal life. I speak up now because I survived, I still have a voice and I will no longer be quiet. I speak for all the children that do not have a voice, who might not know that what they are experiencing is wrong. I speak for those screaming out and still not being heard, for those that others suspect might be being abused.

If you know a child with odd bruises, marks, accidents or frequent injuries and illnesses or is extremely skinny report it. If the same child shows up again and again in your emergency room for injuries or odd accidents or illnesses, report it and follow up, medical professionals are obligated to protect children. If the child gets better being away from the parent, pay attention to that it is very important. If a child does not attend school at all, misses a lot and isn’t behaving in class or does not know how to act around other kids look into it. If a child tells you something so horrible it’s unbelievable, believe it children under 11 can’t make that stuff up.

If one person in my life had done just one of the things I suggested, then my life would most likely have turned out a lot differently. I am not whining or crying about it, I am dealing with it head on. I may learn to forgive people, but I will never forget or be able to get back what was lost. It’s important people know this so that it can be recognized, understood and hopefully stopped.

My reason for writing this is simple, I never want another child to have to go through what I did. If you want to know more about it, ask and listen carefully. Doing this can change somebody’s life, even one person listening can save many children and it doesn’t take very long.