Angry Anderson is calling on all of Australia to show their support for White Balloon Day on September 7th as part of Child Protection Week which runs from September 5th-11th.
White Balloon Day is the initiative of Bravehearts Inc. and it’s the only nationwide annual campaign to raise awareness and funds for the fight against child sexual assault, in every corner of our beautiful country. The vision for this day is ultimately to make Australia the safest place in the world to raise your children.
Sexual assault against children is a horrible thought and something that I’m sure I’m not alone in thinking that I can’t believe how anyone could do that to a child. Such beautiful innocent little people, how can anyone destroy that innocence. It is an issue that needs awareness raised, it needs people to be thinking about it so that the signs can be recognised and investigated.
Braveheart has been recognised as the leading independent agency for child protection in Australia. The charter addresses all areas relating to child sexual assault – prevention, specialist therapy, support, education, research, advocacy, legislative reforms and online resources. All of these areas make a remarkable, and measurable, positive difference in the fight to protect Australia’s children from sexual assault.
The figures are horrific, and saddening, to contemplate. In Australia there are 59,000 children sexually assaulted every year and it’s been estimated that 1 in 5 children will be sexually assaulted before their 18th birthday. Those numbers are pretty staggering, and I find heartbreaking, and you have to wonder if that is only what is reported – how many more may go unrecognised!
The more we can raise awareness the more difference we can make in the lives of children. The figures go on – 1134 of our country’s children are sexually assaulted every week, that equates to 162 every single day or almost 7 an hour or 1 every 9 minutes. That is a high number of children feeling the pain and heartbreak, the trauma of sexual assault. The scariest thing about this whole situation is that in 80-90% of cases the assault is perpetrated by a relative or trusted family friend.
The only way to change those saddeningly scary statistics is to make everyone aware and vigilant so that we can protect our children and their contemporaries. We teach them of Stranger Danger from the time they can walk and talk but as these statistics show, it isn’t always strangers we need to warn them against.
Angry Anderson AM, Ambassador for White Balloon Day appealed to all Australians to support this national campaign saying, “Every Australian child deserves the right to feel safe and every adult has a responsibility to make sure we do everything in our power to protect our kids from harm.”
“Come on Australia, let’s do what we can to protect our kids. We can all get behind White Balloon Day, say NO to child sexual assault and raise vital funds to help educate, empower and protect our kids!
“Please support White Balloon Day and register to host a White fundraising event, wear White on White Balloon Day – Wednesday 7 September, purchase White Balloons and pens or make a donation at our website or any branch of Bendigo Bank or Autobarn store, and enable Bravehearts to help kids in need,” said Angry.
White Balloon Day is now in it’s 15th year and is a national day of awareness and recognition that offers support to the victims of child sexual assault. This year the aim is to raise $500,000 so that essential work in education, advocacy and support services can continue to protect all Australian children from child sexual assault.
“As a survivor, I know only too well the consequences of child sexual assault… Please join me in the fight to protect all of our kids from the pain caused by sexual assault,.. And be part of the solution not part of the problem…” Angry said.
“By working together, we can help give a voice to those touched by this issue, raise vital funds to support our programs that educate, empower and protect Aussie kids and help make Australia the safest place in the word to raise a child.”
To help out this important and worthy cause you can purchase White Balloons and key rings at any branch of Bendigo Bank and at Autobarn stores. Alternately you can visit www.whiteballoonday.com.au to make a donation, register to hold an event or simply to gain more information on White Balloon Day and child protection.
The Freecall Crisis Line is 1800 BRAVE1 (272 831) or you can visit www.whiteballoonday.com.au
I devour books, vampires and supernatural creatures are my genre of choice but over the past couple of years, I have broadened my horizons considerably. In a nutshell – I love to write! I love interacting with a diverse range of artists to bring you interviews. Perhaps we were perfect before – I LOVE WORDS!