Another April - It Is Time To Get Involved

If you are friends with me on facebook, you might have noticed that my profile picture changed to a teal ribbon. That is because once again, it is April (it comes around every year...about this time) and April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

Sexual Assault Awareness Month 2011 Theme: 

"It's Time....To Get Involved"

Getting involved can be as simple as starting conversations. Changing your facebook picture to a teal ribbon and posting a status update about SAAM is a great way to show support for victims and survivors. Tweeting and using the hashtag #SAAM is another simple way to build awareness.

-Check out the National Sexual Violence Resource Center Calendar list of events.
-Get your Stewards of Children training or join in a Prevention Campaign with Stop It Now.
-On April 27th, you can wear Denim.
-On April 30th, you can join in a PAVE Walk to Shatter the Silence.
-Call your local rape crisis center and see if they are having an event or campaign.

If you have been the victim of sexual assault and need help, you can contact RAINN or call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE.

If you are thinking to yourself, "Why should I get involved in this? I haven't been raped. I don't know anyone who has been assaulted or abused. This doesn't have anything to do with me," let me tell you, 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys will be sexually assaulted before they turn 18 years old. I am one of those girls. Sexual assault and abuse is a serious epidemic, in this country, and all over the world.

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month
In 1983, April was the proclaimed the first official Child Abuse Prevention Month and the Blue Ribbon Campaign began in 1989.

There are lots of ways to get involved in Child Abuse Prevention.

It is important to remember that not all child abuse is sexual and not all child abuse is violent. If you suspect that a child is being abused, you can contact Child Help or call the National Child Abuse Hotline 1-800-4-A-CHILD.




The Blog Carnival Against Child Abuse - April Edition - Speaking Out
This month, I will be hosting the Blog Carnival Against Child Abuse. The theme will be "Speaking Out". This theme is an opportunity for you to share with us what speaking out means to you, or what it looks like in your life. If you are doing something special for awareness and prevention in April, we would love to hear about that as well. 


If you don't have a post relating to the theme, that is fine. We will also be accepting submissions in all of our regular categories: Survivor Stories, Advocacy and Awareness, Aftermath, Healing and Therapy, News, Poetry, and Art Therapy.


Submissions are due by Wednesday, April 20th and the carnival will be posted on Friday, April 22nd.


To submit a blog post or article, fill out the Blog Carnival submission form, or email your links and information to me directly at BlogCarnivalAgainstChildAbuse@gmail.com with "Blog Carnival Submission" in the subject line. Old posts are always welcome, and please feel free to submit more than one.

The purpose of the Carnival is to share important posts with others who may not be frequent readers of an author's blog, and expose one's work to a wider audience. There are so many wonderful bloggers who are contributing to the cause of ending and recovering from child abuse. If you, as a reader or author, know of other blogs that you find helpful, please encourage them to submit to an upcoming issue of the Carnival Against Child Abuse; and please bookmark that page so we can continue to receive high quality submissions from a wide swath of bloggers.

Thank you for raising your voice and speaking out against child abuse and sexual assault in April, and all year long.