Judge John Cleland ruled that there will be no delay in the June 5th start of the Jerry Sandusky trial.
Rebecca (aka SwedishJewfish) and I will be on the steps of the courthouse, along with other activists, advocates and survivors, as a show of solidarity to stand with these boys. And we would like you to join us!
What you can do
If you are local to Bellefonte, PA, or if you want to take off a few days and drive in like we are, we will be there June 5-8th. We will have literature on our non-profit, child sexual abuse prevention, our One in Five T-shirts and the solidarity bracelets (see below). We will share our stories with all who will listen; we will help educate the public on child sexual abuse, the grooming process, how to talk to children about appropriate touch, the difference between a surprise and a secret, and what to do if and when a child discloses abuse.
But most importantly, we will show those boys that they, too, can survive and thrive and that they have nothing to be ashamed of!
Statisics show that:
•1:4 girls and 1:6 boys are sexually abused by the age of 18.
•The number of boys abused is in all likelihood much higher
•Over 90% are abused by someone they know and trust
•68% are abused by a family member
TREE Climbers Inc was founded by survivors of child sexual abuse to support fellow survivors of child sexual abuse and child sexual exploitation in their recovery and empower them to use their voices to protect other children.
Wear your solidarity
In a show of solidarity, we are wearing these bracelets in support of these 8 brave young men as well as all victims and survivors of child sexual abuse. There is no shame in what we went through. I wear this bracelet everyday with pride and am not afraid of someone asking me what it is for.
The bracelet conveys the four tenets of our TREE - Tell, Recover, Educate and Empower
$25 donation or more to our charity and you will receive one
And for anyone who joins us for a day, an hour, or for the entire week, we will have T-shirts available as shown below. This is part of our campaign, We are the One in Five
We plan on making these T-shirts available to anyone who wants one in the very near future. (We will also have "I Stand with the One in Five" for those who are not survivors but supporters)
One final note-these young men have been warned that their identities may be revealed to the press if they choose to testify:
Alleged victims in Jerry Sandusky case are faced with reality of revealing their names
I say if they want to release their names, then release mine too -
These young men are my heroes - standing up to the man who allegedly raped, fondled, sexually assaulted them, and having their day in court. I didn't get my day in court and it is something I regret to this day. I support them for having the courage and conviction to stand up and say Stop! No More!! Never Again!!! And they should not be ashamed by any of it.