Namely, my daughter.
It came out in late July last year that my ex husband had been sexually abusing my daughter from the time she was 4 years old onward, under my nose, whilst I was asleep at night.
She is now 14. This brave young lady deserves our praise, and needs our support.
Last month, she (I am specifically not using her name until she gives me the ok to do so,) was asked to discuss the details of the abuse in class. She prepared a presentation and presented it to the class.
She talked about the abuse, what happened, the legal proceedings regarding it, and how I lost my children due to my ignorance in the issue.
What happened afterward surprised even me.
The children in the class started calling her names.
She wrote the names on her arm.
She also wrote some inspirational quotes to keep herself going.
Her instructor was busy and unaware of the bullying.
Her Father pulled her out of the school almost immediately afterward, and sent her to a new school district. (This was the last straw, she was not happy in the district due to the heavy scrutiny she received from classmates on other issues.)
I want her to know she is supported by a lot of people, and that her story is not one of defeat, but one of success and overcoming the odds. I want her to feel empowered, surrounded and protected by the community at large.
It is important in the case of child sexual abuse that the victim be encouraged to tell his or her story, so that they can move beyond it and become the people they need to be.
This is a braided blue ribbon, it is the ribbon associated with child sexual abuse to honor and remember the victims. I think it should be more than this. I think, if you wear this ribbon and it's braided in such a fashion, children should know they can come to you with their problems. They should know that you are a safe adult who is familiar with the issues and moreover will protect them if they come to talk to you about it.
In the case of my daughter's ribbon, it is bound together with safety pins, as she professes to be a bit of a "goth/punk" gal.
Here's the thing. My daughter's abuser is attempting an appeal. I do not have exact dates and times yet, but, I was wondering, could we all agree to wear braided blue ribbons that day? Her attacker needs to remain behind bars; in just the few months he's been gone, she's made tremendous strides in therapy and as a person. She finally feels safe. I need her to know she's going to be safe as long as we have something to say about it.
