Mantua – Angela Smith of Mantua recently started an organization called iTELLsecrets. Her purpose is to help children learn the difference between good touches and bad touches, to help protect kids from sexual abuse. Strikingly, among cases of child abuse reported to law enforcement, 93% of victims knew the perpetrators; 34% were family members while 59% were acquaintances. Only 7% of the perpetrators were strangers to their victims (https://RAINN.org).
Smith wants to empower kids to tell an adult they trust, until someone listens and helps end the abuse. “If it happens at home, a child may think it’s normal and happens in every home. Through iTELLsecrets, we let them know this simply isn’t true.”
According to statistics from the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization, one in nine girls and one in 53 boys under the age of 18 experience sexual abuse or assault at the hands of an adult.
Smith explained, “children may feel confused — especially if the perpetrator is someone they care about, since statistics show that children are more likely to be victimized by someone they know than by a stranger,” she added. “They need to know that it’s not okay, and even more importantly, it’s not their fault,” she implored. She wants children to be freed from keeping their abuse a secret.
Sadly, Smith’s convictions are based on experience; she was victimized first by her grandfather and later by her stepfather. As an adult, she started this organization to make sure that other children don’t experience what she endured. She wants to make sure kids get the help they need to stop their abuse. Simply put, this is her reason for being on Earth.
To help communicate this very sensitive subject, Smith’s organization has created a Good Touch, Bad Touch coloring book. Her simple message is suited for kids from ages three through ten. Smith’s goal is to collect enough donations to print and distribute 1,000 coloring books (valued at .85 each) to local schools and daycare centers.
For more information on how you can support the program, or to request coloring books for your school or daycare, visit https://concretefootprints.org/itellsecrets. To make a donation, visit the iTELLsecrets campaign on https://flipcause.com or visit https://concretefootprints.org.
