June has been a busy month for me. We have been preparing
for a group to come from the States, while also preparing for and putting on
workshops each Friday. The workshops are about protecting the children in our
communities, and my main job is to prepare all the materials. Even though, I
sometimes find the 5-hour workshops to be long and a bit boring, I think they
are incredibly important. They are presented to men and women of the community,
from all different professions: teachers, nurses, and even stay at home
mothers. The main topic covered is sexual abuse: what it is, what it can look
like, how to prevent it, how to stop it.
Just to give an example of why these workshops are so
important, one of the girls I work with is 9 years old. Her stepfather began
abusing her when she was just 5 years old. When she told her mother, she was told to stop being ridiculous. For 3 years
she suffered in silence, until her teacher started to notice that her behavior
was off. When she asked the young girl what was wrong, the girl confessed for
the first time to someone outside of her family. Luckily her teacher not only
believed her, but also took the appropriate measures to make sure that this
girl was given the treatment and care she needed.
She, and other children I work with are the reason I feel so
strongly about these workshops. With the percentages as high as they are, it is
possible that each one of the people coming to the workshops know at least
one child who has been or is being sexually abused. Though we would like to
believe that their parents would immediately get them help, it unfortunately
isn’t always the case. Therefore, it is important for these people to
understand exactly what sexual abuse is, what it looks like, and the
appropriate steps to take if encountered. I thank God that this teacher decided
to think twice about the young girl’s behavior, and that she followed through.
I pray that through this workshop we can help other young children who are
suffering. I pray that if these participants encounter an abusive situation,
that they have enough strength to follow through. And until then we shall
continue to pray for the little ones that suffer in silence.
"Every person I work with knows something better than me. My job is to listen long enough to find it and use it."
Jack Nichols
Jack Nichols
