When Child Sexual Abuse replaces Saddam, Britney and MySpace in the top 10 search lists, will life be more protective for our children?

Child Sexual Abuse prevention and help appears to have a low public profile. Many a night I have unintentionally ended a dinner party by talking about Child Sexual Abuse (guests don’t know what to say about it). Many a time I have been told, I am preaching (and yes, I admit I preach. I’m trying to change that). Many a time I have been told that Child Sexual Abuse doesn’t really happen, that it is a research topic for bored academics. Many a time I have sat and listened to the heart wrenching stories from children affected by sexual abuse and their concerns that nobody cares about them. Many a time have I been ridiculed, threatened and ostracized because I fight for the rights of child protection.

A list compiled by My Digital Life nicely categorizes the top 10 searches of 2006. Child Sexual Assault is not on the list. In my experience, GoogleAds attracted to Child Sexual Abuse pages appear to be low payers: advertisers know they cannot make money out of Child Sexual Abuse because it’s hardly a trendy or popular topic.

Is this because Child Sexual Abuse is a dirty word, a figment of our non-academic imaginations or because no one should profit from Child Sexual Abuse? I don’t know the answer and I’m very interested in your thoughts. What I do know through professional experience is that child sexual abuse is both rampant and under valued. With prevalence rates as high as one in three children affected by sexual abuse a lot of consumers already know the importance of funding, supporting and raising the advertising time around child sexual abuse prevention and help.

In Child uses Google to get out of sexual abuse, Melly nicely highlights the usefulness of search engines as a child protection tool. When Child Sexual Abuse finds its way onto the top 10 searches, will it be even easier for our kids at risk because their plight has finally grabbed the attention of the world?

Perhaps someone way more techno savvy than me could explain what would happen if each of us entered, daily, “child sexual abuse” into a search engine (I use Google and Technorati). Would this help to make child sexual abuse public by getting it into the top 10 search list? Would this raise the profile of child sexual abuse in the eyes of a public who do mostly care but are unsure what to do to help? I do appreciate that millions of genuine searches would be needed but perhaps this is an easy start place for raising the profile of the prevention of child sexual abuse. If you want to know something about Child Sexual Abuse, please try a Google search and help make the search term "Child Sexual Abuse" more visible.

What’s your thoughts? When will you be prepared to have Child Sexual Abuse replace Saddam, Britney or MySpace?

Read previous Topical Whensday articles here.

SadlyNormal.org has started a new, interactive discussion on healing. Lisa is posting a strengths based question each day.

This is a GREAT way for survivors of sexual violence to share their tenacity, their passion and their creativity.

Don’t be shy, join in. It doesn't matter what country you live in, what your current circumstances are, or who your perpetrator was. This is your chance to celebrate YOUR survival. Not everything's about you, but this sure is.

Imaginif...there was a world without child sexual abuse.

Photo courtesy of CSP at SXC Photo Exchange.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): “a concept that suggests that commercial corporations have a duty of care to all of their stakeholders in all aspects of their business operations.” But, is it just a concept? I suggest not. CSR is a way of being, a working and ongoing commitment to not only people who use your business services but rather to people you may never meet. CSR is business acumen delivered in an ethical and socially responsible manner.

The global monolith of semantics, McDonalds, has a CSR blog. Good for them. Impressive and interactive, I would encourage supportive comments on their blogs. Is there anyone not familiar with the fantastic service that Ronald McDonald Houses offer to sick children and their families? Even though I am not a McDonald’s food lover, I will support their fund raising efforts because they assist children.

The Body Shop, releases staff to do voluntary work in the community and they fund raise to support children and young people affected by domestic violence and abusive relationships. This is their CSR in action. I purchase their fundraising products not because I need the items but because I aim to support them support our community.

The prevalence rate of sexual abuse is as high as one in three. Shocking, horrific and unacceptable. However, if one in three of your potential customers is affected by sexual violence it would make good business sense to enact your CSR and dynamically support filling the huge gap in corporate support for sexual assault prevention and treatment.

Some academics find CSR distasteful. Their views oscillate around business is in the market of business, not in the market of government responsibility. Criticisms of business focused utilitarian actions and advertising gimmicks to draw more customers and profit are leveled at those daring to step into CSR. Certainly when I was a student social worker I struggled to understand how rich women, spending thousands on themselves to attend an expensive fund raising dinner for a cause could bring any lasting social benefit. It does! Most big business people have no time to volunteer but they may have disposable income and a yearning to be in the social set. Each to their own and if they can use their own needs and social standing to help others, so be it.

Social responsibility is not only the business of government. Child protection is the business of every single person. Child protection is serious business and those businesses serious about their CSR may do well to consider what they are doing to help protect the world’s upcoming consumers.

Do you know of any big business whose CSR supports people affected by sexual violence? Please, leave the name and link so that we can all support these businesses to support our children. The bigger the list, the greater the global support of our children affected by sexual violence.

Imaginif…child protection was serious business!

A related article on attracting male mentors: MEN TORch the Chance of Boys Becoming Non-Violent Men (please note that Big Brother/Big Sister Australia do not support the views in this article and were concerned that their linked association suggests that they share my views on why we cannot attract male mentors. I apologise to them for any concern raised.)

My name is Deidre and I am seven. I like jumping on the trampoline (all the way up to the clouds), watching Saddle Club after school, and sneaking an extra Chocolate Crackle when Mummy and the dandy fairies are not looking.

Mum caught me yesterday arve and now I'm grounded! Them dumb fairies must have told on me. I"m not allowed to watch T.V or to go to Donna's house to play. It sux! At least Mum didn't smack my face like she used to. I hate that.

Mum's not always mean. Sometimes she's so good that she lets me sit in the front seat on the way home from school. I love that. Dad growls at Mum when she does that but, becos he reckons it's illegal and the Cops will take me away. Dumb Government. They hate kids so they make dumb rules to punish us all.

So what dumb thing will I do this afternoon? Mum's busy and she's cranky anyhow. Better to stay away from her. Ill just lie on the grass here and do cloud discovery. Dumb clouds. They all look like horses. I wonder what's on Saddle Club right now?

Hey! What's that tickling my underarm? A dandelion! Pretty. I like them. They make wishes come true becos when you blow them all the little furry bits turn into fairies and race each other to take your wish to the Fairy Queen. The more furry fairies that get there, the bigger the chance that Fairy Queen will make your wish come true.

Blooooooooooo.....look at them fly all over... I dandelion wish that my Mum and Dad didn't fight all the time .

Hey! I hear Daddy's car in the driveway. He's home early. Hooray. Uh oh. He's singing, "Isn't it a Dandy Day." That's bad. That means he got drunked at big lunch and didn't go back to his job. Now he's going to be all feral and there's going to be a big fight. Mum will act like a farocious lion too, and they'll get into it. Hey you dumb fairies! I didn't wish for a Dandy Lion, I just found a dandelion and wished for no fighting. Even the fairies are dumb and feral. That reminds me, I used to see a lady called Megan. She was a feral ferapist. I called her that becos she used to take her shoes off, real feral like, and she was a ferapist.

She told me that when Mum and Dad fight I had to carry out my safety plan. The plan we made up together was to go and sit in the front yard under the Frangipani tree where all them nosey neighbors could see me. It doesn't matter how much Mummy screams when Daddy hits her I am not allowed to go back inside the house. Megan also said that if a Cop car comes they ARE NOT coming to take me away becos I sat in the front seat. They are coming to help me not be scared. But I'm scared now becos Daddy is yelling that he has to tame the lion. This is not dandy so I'd better go out front and sit under the Frangipani tree. Dumb fairies! I hate them now. I wished that my Mum and Dad didn't be fighting all the time.

My name's Deidre and I don't like it when my Daddy hits my Mummy becos I get scared.

Protective Behaviours are about protecting children and adults from all elements of danger. Water, Sun, Poison and Personal safety lie high on the agendas of some Protective Behaviour programs.

Complacency lies high on the agendas of some parents. Receiving rebuffs about the work we do is common ground for workers attempting to protect children from sexual assault. Many parents seem to think there is no need to talk about personal safety with their children. Safe in their own families, parents become complacent and do not risk manage around protective behaviours.

I am no different. My children have grown up with the fear around yet another of my boring comments: Sunburn is sun damage. The Slip, Slap, Slop program has been instilled into my children from its day of inception. Yet still, I became complacent and yesterday I allowed my body to be abused by the cruel tropical sun. Boy and partner were fine. They spent the entire day snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef, protected by sun and stinger suits with regular slatherings of SPF 30+ sun screen.

While rubbing moisturizer into my burnt body, partner suggested that it was irresponsible for a protective behaviour consultant to allow sun abuse. I agree. I failed and today I am hurting. I will heal though and I pray that I haven’t allowed melanoma to invade my protected space.

None of us can afford to become complacent around personal safety. Our children may well be safe with us but it takes only one other person to zero in on our child, to sexually abuse them, for a life time of hurt, confusion and betrayal to stay embedded in the hearts and minds of our child.

Protective Behaviours in the sun is very important. As you place a hat or sun screen on your child, spare a thought for how you are going to protect your child from the cancer of child sexual abuse. If you’re looking for some simple play ideas of how to protectively play, visit Toys, Books and Games Protect Kids.

Related Great Barrier Reef marine species articles by an 11 year old home school boy (my son):
Turtle Facts.
Starfish are Echinoderms