In an interview with Alejandra Oraa of Café CNN, María Trusa, founder of the Yo Digo No Más movement shared her life story and invited parents and caregivers of children to be aware of the warning signs to prevent sexual abuse. For her, there are two keys aspects to breaking the chain of sexual abuse: break the silence and become educated.
As in her case, where her father gave her to the man who sexually abused her, in most of the reported cases, the perpetrator is a family member or someone close to the victim, which is why she is emphatic in pointing out: “the monster is at home”.
Likewise, María explains that it is very common to keep silent about sexual abuse, it is a topic that is not talked about, and this is precisely what feeds what she calls ‘the silent pandemic’, because due to existing taboos, children do not receive from their parents and caregivers the tools to protect themselves.
In addition, María referred to many of the social norms that our children grow up with, in which they are directly or indirectly, given to understand that they do not have the power to decide about their bodies and sexuality.
A march to say “NO MORE”
During this space, María also took the opportunity to extend an invitation to participate in the first I Say No More to Sexual Violence march, to be held on April 30th at 11:00 a.m. in Yonkers. This mobilization organized by the I Say No More Movement, the Mayor’s Office and the Yonkers School District will feature a special education component, led by organizations such as the Me Too Movement and Stony Brook, and aimed at generating knowledge and awareness around sexual abuse prevention. Find the full story here.
