Blog Carnival Against Child Abuse - April 2011 - Speaking Out Edition

April is Child Abuse Prevention and Awareness month, and we are picking up on that in the Blog Carnival with a theme of "Speaking Out".  I love that this month, there were not only submissions specifically for the theme, but also several of the submissions in other categories involved speaking out in some way.

Many of the submissions also touch on recognizing child abuse, and what to do when you see it. It was interesting to read about this from the perspective of the child who was abused as well as from the perspective of a social worker.


Speaking Out Theme:

Marj aka Thriver from Survivors Can Thrive submitted, Take A Stand, Raise Your Hand!

She wrote: "Yes! I finally made the deadline for a blog carnival edition! And I'm so happy about the theme. I wrote this poem for a project called "The Show of Hands." The artist who started this project has since passed, but the advocacy and awareness we need to raise remains."

-Puzzled Hat from All The King's Horses submitted, Things Social Workers Investigating Possible Abuse Need to Know.
This is what speaking out is all about, not just telling our stories (which is SO important) but also educating and teaching...that is powerful. 

-Gail O'Keeffe from Survivors Healing Way submitted, The Remembering: A Legacy of Sexual Abuse.
I love to see the different ways that Gail is speaking out, and offering hope to other survivors. I relate so much to her "discovery of her real self" through journaling and writing.


-Patricia Singleton from Spiritual Journey of a Lightworker submitted, Dear Whoever You Are That Wants Me To Shut Up About Child Abuse - It Ain't Happening. So Deal With It.
She wrote: "In speaking out about incest and other forms of child abuse, I will not be silenced just because someone is uncomfortable with my choice of topics. Now as more of us are speaking out, more will become aware and can work to stop child abuse."



In The News:
-Patricia Singleton from Spiritual Journey of a Lightworker submitted, Is It True That Money Can Buy You Friends Even When You Are A Pedophile?
She wrote: "A friend on Twitter asked me to write this blog post asking Katie Couric how, as a mother, she could go to a dinner party given by an acknowledged registered sex offender."


Advocacy and Awareness:
-Lisa from Two Bears Farm and Three Cubs submitted, April is Child Abuse Prevention Month - A Social Worker's Perspective
Lisa shares the story of the first time she removed a child from her home due to abuse. 

-Astrid from A Multitude of Musings submitted, Disclosure.
She wrote: "I have a new blog, and here is my blog carnival submission for April. Comments may be triggering."
This post is in response to a commenter who wanted the author to reveal more of her personal story and details than she felt comfortable revealing. I think it is important to note that even though we, as bloggers, have chosen to share ourselves and our stories in an extremely public forum, we still have the right (and responsibility) to set boundaries and hold firm to them. This can often be a safety issue, but it is also a respect issue. 


-Patricia Singleton from Spiritual Journey of a Lightworker submitted, Post About 11-Year-Old Gang Rape Survivor.
She wrote: "We all must speak out and stop the rape of our children. We must be more than outraged. We must act to stop child abuse."


Healing and Therapy:
-Sheena from Sociology of Sheena submitted, The Least of These Things ~ Surviving vs Thriving.
Sheena talks about the difference of surviving and thriving, and why she is committed to thrive! 


-Gail O'Keeffe from Survivors Healing Way submitted, Childhood Sexual Abuse and the Myth of Silence.
I love the idea of focusing on self-care and seeking out joy as a part of the healing journey. It is so important.


-Charlene from Divergent Ramblings submitted, My Bracelet Arrived!
Charlene has been on the hunt for a bracelet that represents everything she wanted to celebrate about her healing journey.  I love all the thought and symbolism she put into this...and I also love that it can provide further opportunities to speak out and share her story when people comment on it. 


Art Therapy:
-Paul from Mind Parts submitted, My Six-Word Memoir.
 He wrote: "I came upon "six word memoirs" a couple months ago. Some people have used them as regular check-ins with themselves, and they of course change based on where you are at. I suggest others give it a try."
*Sidenote from Tracie: "Each month, Paul hosts the Expressive Arts Carnival. There is a great community over there, and if you haven't already, I would love to encourage you to check it out!"


Poetry:
-Rick Belden from Poetry, Dreams, and The Body submitted, Poetry on Video: 'Easter'
He wrote: "This is a video reading of my poem "Easter" with background and commentary."


Survivor Stories:
-Nissa from Nissalotus submitted, What To Do If You Suspect Sexual Abuse. 

She wrote: "This is a portion of my story to illustrate how to recognize sexual abuse and what to do."

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The Blog Carnival Against Child Abuse is a monthly event. The purpose is to raise awareness about the serious issue of child abuse and 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.

Many thanks to all of you who shared your hearts and stories with us, and to all of you who read the submissions and show your support. You keep this carnival, the awareness, support, and healing going each month.


To provide another way for you to stay in contact with the blog carnival and make sure you don't miss any updates, you can like the new Blog Carnival Against Child Abuse Facebook Page. 

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

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