Child sexual abuse must be stopped. It’s up to each of us in Miami-Dade to call it out | Opinion

As April National Child Abuse Prevention Month concludes, it’s time for a heart-to-heart on child sexual abuse and to pledge to prevent it—it’s likely happening among your family and friends, and you may be missing the signs that could make the difference between ongoing suffering or the opportunity for freedom, healing, and happiness.

With as many as one-in-four children experiencing child sexual abuse, it’s up to each of us to be aware and call it out. After all, with that statistic, it could easily be your child, or one close to you.

Child sexual abuse is not an easy topic to talk about or confront, but it’s one we can’t afford to ignore. As parents, caregivers, teachers, clergy and members of our diverse and growing Miami, we must be ever-more aware and vigilant to protect our children.

For each of us, that means being courageous enough to act for a child who cannot act for themselves.

Research shows that victims are least likely to directly ask for help because of the fear and manipulation that entraps them. They will, however, show you the signs. Will you see them?

Too confronting to see? Ask yourself this: if someone had a sense that your little girl or boy may be a victim of child sexual abuse, would you rather they bring it to your attention or dismiss it?

Think of it this way: 93 percent of perpetrators are almost always known to the family and so sadly, this means that those close to you are either those who are abusers, or those who are guardians

with the opportunity to see the signs and reach out to help. The only other act is complicit silence. You don’t need to be sure to reach out, you just need to suspect—and most of the time, your suspicions will be more right than wrong.

Throughout April, Miami-Dade staged an outdoor ad awareness campaign on every Miami Metrorail station and on Airport Expressway billboards.

The campaign asks everyone to think twice and consider the signs: Your Child—Angry or Sexually Abused? Your Child—A Loner or Sexually Abused? Your Child—Afraid or Sexually Abused?

You’ll also see a call to take a Pledge To Prevent—to learn more, share information, build a local movement, or affect policy.

Still unsure what to do? The campaign shares an easy-recall number, (240) END-1IN4, to discuss things with professionals from the Childhelp National Child Abuse hotline.

You might be thinking, “This doesn’t happen among my family or friends.” Child sexual abuse knows no boundaries. It happens in big cities and small towns, in wealthy neighborhoods and low-income areas. Victims are groomed into trust, silence, and compliance by perpetrators close to them— a family member, a friend, a teacher, or even a coach. And, perpetrators have probably groomed you into trust, too. That’s why it’s so important to be vigilant and not dismiss potential red flags just because the abuser is someone familiar.

The statistics on child sexual abuse are abhorrent. Children are most vulnerable to abuse between the ages of 7 and 13, and the median age for reported abuse is 9. More than 20% of children are abused before the age of 8.

Here’s the thing: we can’t afford not to act because of the fear or discomfort that enables abuse to continue. If you suspect that a child is being abused, trust your instincts and take action. Reach out to hotlines; or report your concerns—whether to child protective services or law enforcement, and let them handle the situation with expert, trauma-informed interventions and solutions.

Our children are counting on us. Consider taking the Pledge To Prevent at www.PledgeToPrevent.info, learn just how much you can do, and take action to end child sexual abuse. The power is in our hands.

Kathy Andersen is the founder of END1IN4, Inc. which works to end the impact and magnitude of child sexual abuse through public awareness, engagement campaigns and education.. For more information, visit END1IN4.org.

For 24/7 help and support, and to report abuse, call the 24/7 Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline (1-800) 4-A-Child.