Child Sexual Assault must cease. It is a shame to our modern, evolved world that some people use sex as a weapon of power against our children. It is a greater shame that many of us do not know what or when we can do something helpful to fight against the social curse of child sexual abuse.

During 2007, I urge you to assist at least 2007 people affected by child abuse. With prevalence figures like one in three, it is not difficult to help 2007 people in 2007. You do not need to know these people and you will get no return other than knowing that you have helped to improve the life of people affected by a hideous crime. This is a fantastic return, far greater than real estate or stock exchange can ever produce.

Don’t wait until a person tells you they are a survivor of child sexual abuse. The majority of people never tell their secret. When to support ending Child Sexual Abuse is now: today, before you even know anybody affected. The more we support the cause and the more we talk about it, the easier it will be for men, women and children to disclose. Disclosure leads to sexual predators thinking twice about abusing our kids.

Every month this year, undertake to do a simple action that will have multiple impact on ending Child Sexual Abuse. Here are 12 ideas to get you started.

1. Donate used clothing, toys, books, trinkets, or household items to charities that assist families made homeless through sexual assault or family violence.

2. Save your small coins in a single container and donate to a child-focused charity at the end of 2007. On January 1, we began putting all of our five cent coins in a vase and will donate to the Abused Child Trust. The vase sits near our front door and I’ll be encouraging visitors to also make a small coin donation.

3. Teach your children Protective Behaviours and have open conversations in your home about the importance of telling someone if anyone touches or scares your child.

4. Set up a small monthly donation to a child-focused charity. Five dollars per month may not be missed from your budget but $5.00 x 12 = $60.00.

5. Support a business that supports Child Sexual Abuse.

6. Save Motel soaps and shampoos and donate to a rape crisis centre.

7. Contact a Rape Crisis Centre and ask what they need for people who have just been raped. Following the medical examination, many people who have been raped lose their clothing to evidence. Underwear, shirts and shoes take a large chunk of a helping service’s budget.

8. Buy and read a book (fiction or non-fiction) about child sexual abuse. Stepping into a survivors shoes helps to firm your commitment to ending sexual abuse.

9. Talk with a person who has been sexually abused. Find out about their life. Ask what you could do to improve their situation. Find a way to help them.

10. Ask clubs you are involved in to hold a fund raiser for the prevention of child sexual abuse.

11. Link to sites or blogs about child sexual abuse. The more people who publicly say they support ending child sexual abuse, the faster the sexual predators will get the message that their behaviour is wrong.

12. Leave 12 comments on blogs about sexual abuse. When survivors see no comments, they wrongly think that nobody cares about sexual abuse. Show survivors that you do care and that you are willing to help them have a voice. Start here. Leave a comment. Many of my survivor clients read this blog.

When to Support Ending Child Sexual Assault? Start today.

Other Topical Whensday articles:

Topical Whensday: When Will YOU Tee On to Cause an Effect?

Topical Whensday: When will YOU wear a Colored Tee to Recognize Violence Against Women and Children.

Topical Whensday: When will children be visible?

Topical Whensday: When will you help a child with HIV/AIDS?

Topical Whensday: When Will Your Yes Mean Yes and Your No Mean No.

UNICEF’s 2006 report on the State of the World's Children focuses on excluded and invisible children who have no access to essential services, protection and participation. The sad reality of many of the world’s children set me reflecting upon the visibility of children in my own town.

To walk into my house, there would be little doubt that children are a focus: that they are valued and highly visible. To walk down my street, many houses wear children’s toys as a sign of “Children live here.” My local shopping village however, does not make children visible. A trendy little spot, I was unable to find a single sign that suggested visibility of children, let only being a child friendly place.

Some months ago, I facilitated a Child Protection forum in a beautiful holiday spot called Port Douglas. A place of stunning natural beauty, diversity, and a playground for the rich and famous, local people were concerned about the hidden child protection issues. Proactive and dedicated, they looked for a way to raise the profile of their most precious resource: the town’s children.

One young psychologist aptly raised the question: Where are our children? A drive around the beautiful town confirmed for me that Port Douglas offered few external signs of being child friendly. It was almost as though children were invisible to visitors. While this does not mean that the children were being hidden, or abused, it reflects a value that children are not as important as the tourist dollar.

The more I have remained conscious of the external signs of community friendliness toward children, the more I have noticed that the friendliness occurs in pockets. It is almost as though business, development and tourism reject children unless there is a financial gain in catering to the needs of children.

Our children are not a commodity to be bought and sold. Our children are a more important natural resource than oil, water, gas or eco tourism. Our children are our sustainable future and have a leading role in helping us manage the other mentioned natural resources that are becoming endangered. We need our children. We need to protect them, to make them visible, to give them a voice.

Look around your community. What are the signs you see that make children visible? Are there well-serviced parks with trees and playground equipment? Children’s artwork proudly displayed on the sides of buses? Stores that cater for families with young children? Interactive display’s that help children retain new knowledge? The list is endless.

When will children be visible in our developed worlds: When we start looking for the signs of a child friendly community and take action to replace child unfriendliness with the high profile of children’s needs.

Other Topical Whensday blogs by Megan Bayliss:

Topical Whensday: When Will YOU Tee On to Cause an Effect?

Topical Whensday: When will YOU wear a Colored Tee to Recognize Violence Against Women and Children.