Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Project 16: "Break the Cycle"

My heart aches. My heart aches for kids.  My heart aches for kids that are sexually abused. My heart is telling me that we NEED to do this project again.

The bad news, is that Break the Cycle is in need of more bags to send.  The good news, is that they do send them and WE can help. For those of you who aren't familiar with our previous project, here is part of our post from Project 10:

 Did you know...
 
 that 1 in 4* or, in some research ,1 in 3 girls and 1 in 7 or, in some research, 1 in 6* boys will be sexually abused before their 18th birthday?

Nearly 3/4 of victims will not tell anyone for at least a year. Nearly half of victims will wait at least 5 years before telling. Some never tell. **

90% of cases are never reported. Ever. Which mean the majority of sexual offenders are walking the streets free and unknown to society.
A report of child abuse is made every ten seconds. Almost five children die every day as a result of child abuse. More than three out of four are under the age of 4.*****

The Abusers:  30-40% are immediate or extended family members of the victim.***
As many as 50% of abusers know their victims and are in a position of trust with the victim and/or family.***
As many as 40% of abusers are larger or older children - siblings, cousin, friends, neighbors, community members ****

Only 10% are estimated to be strangers****

The VictimsThe average age for reported sexual abuse is 9 years.
50% of all victims of forcible sodomy, sexual assault with an object, and forcible fondling are under age twelve
20% of children will receive a sexual solicitation via the Internet

The Cost Victims PayChildren that are sexually abused are at a higher risk to suffer from: low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, drug and alcohol abuse, eating disorders, obesity. attempted suicide or suicide, and prostitution.

This is appalling!  What can we do? 

There are countless people and organizations that are helping these children.  One of them in our area is called, "Break the Cycle"., in Orangevale.  It is run by one woman, Averen Bareggi, who makes jewelry to raise not only awareness but also funds to create and distribute "comfort packs" that are given to law enforcement and other agencies for children reporting abuse. 
 
These bags are filled with all kinds of things to encourage creativity and comfort.  Things like:  art supplies, children's help books, a Curious George CD, bean bags, journals, gift cards to fun activities and a hand-stamped BRAVE bracelet (made by Averen).

Sew...(pun intended!) we are making more backpacks!
 
Some fun bags from our last project
 
   Please use a sturdy, cotton or canvas-like material.   Either a solid color or have fun and use kid friendly fabric.  These bags are not just for younger kids, they are sent to kids of all ages.
 
 HERE is a link to show the construction of the backpack style that is needed.  Please, make them about 10" x 12" in size.
 
For more information on the actual items and to see the bags, please visit Break the Cycle website.  There is a great video of Averen, telling about the backpacks. 
 
  
For those of you local, please contact us for fabric!

Let us know when you are finished with your project, via email, Facebook or comment here and we'll collect them!     ~~ Robyne ~~


Deadline: April 30th


*(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2006)
**(Smith et al., 2000; Broman-Fulks et al., 2007)
***Elliot, M., Browne, K., & Kilcoyne, J. (1995). Child sexual abuse prevention: What offenders tell us. Child Abuse & Neglect, 5, 579-594
****Kilpatrick, D., Saunders, B.W., & Smith, D. (2003). Youth victimization: Prevalence and implications. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice Report.