"The commercial sexual exploitation and abuse of children is nothing less than a form of terrorism — one whose wanton destruction of young lives and futures must not be tolerated for another year, another day, another hour." – Carol Bellamy, Former Director of the United States Peace Corps, Executive Director of UNICEF, and President and CEO of World Learning.
The sexual abuse and explotation of children occurs in every country, every, city around the globe, no community is spared from this hurrendous act of personal terrorism. Victimization does not end when the physical act of abuse ends, or even when purpertrator is caught, the abuse continues to haunt the mind and body for the remainder of their lives. A child of who is victimized of sexual abuse may heal their physical wounds, but the real scars of abuse never fade. Once a child is abused they can never again be the same child, for their dreams were shattered all too soon, and their future is cast in shadows of grey. A child who is a survivor of sexual abuse and rape, looses their innocence once an abuser enters their lives. They not only loose the innocence of childhood, but also the pure and simple outlook on the world they once had. One can never erase the memories of abuse, for they live not only in conscious, but the subconscious, invading every aspect of one's life. Sexual abuse is a life sentence of shame, silence and fear, imprisoned in the shadows of their abusers.
