This post is a little different to my usual posts, but it is an extremely important one. Last night a very good friend of mine invited me to a comedy charity event, she never really gave me any more details other than that her friend was going to be walking 10,000 miles to raise awareness for the charity. The night was filled with huge laughs and a sing song, but was all for quite a serious issue.
Matthew McVarish is walking 10,000 miles across Europe to Stop the Silence and to stop Child Sexual Abuse. Such a hugely scary subject, but in Europe one in five children have been through it, which means 100 million adults are survivors. Its hard to understand how that is even possible, but these things are not spoken about. When a child goes through something like that whether it was yesterday or 20 years ago, it stays silent. Nobody talks about it and that needs to change! It is not something that should be kept a secret and hidden and that is what Matthew and the charity Stop The Silence is trying to change. This is such a huge issue that is almost a Taboo subject, when it should not be at all.
Please visit the website and even just watch the video, as Matthew can explain it all much better than I can! Click the link girls, the video takes less than 9 minutes of your time.
The Road To Change is all about changing the legislation surrounding child sexual abuse; the age of consent and how long the victim has to report it. Matthew wrote a play called To Kill A Kelpie, which is about his and his brothers experience of talking about what happened to them as children. It has been performed all round America and even on Broadway. It has also been made into a film. On Matthews walk, he will stop at 31 cities and is hosting events to help raise awareness of the cause. He will be going into colleges and universities and showing the film. Trying to get people talking about this subject is the hardest part.
I guess we think that if it is not spoken about it does not happen, Stop The Silence is trying to expose what goes on and make it become an issue that we can talk about, whether it be in anger, in sadness or in the need for it to change. It has to be changed.
Matthew is doing a hugely brave and selfless thing. The walk will take him 18 months and he leaves from London on the 31st of May! He said it himself he needs all the help he can get!! Can you imagine taking 18 months out of your life to walk 10,000 miles?! To see the route he is taking, please click here, it is pretty impressive! I feel like I am doing my bit helping to raise awareness to all of you lovely girls and of course some cash from my pocket. Its all about raising awareness, which is what Matthew is doing by visiting all these countries and being heard by so many people. Please please please visit the website girls, show your support and help the Road To Change.
A huge Good Luck to Matthew as well!!!
Such a great cause!
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