Research shows that when children experience sexual abuse, the first people they turn to are often not adults, but their friends. Nina Vaaranen-Valkonen from Protect Children (Suojellaan Lapsia) explained in a webinar to mark the launch of the #“#MyFriendToo to Children in the United States” website that academic studies, police data and interviews with victims consistently show that peers play a crucial role in early disclosure. Protect Children's Global Survivor Survey confirms this finding: nearly 50% of adults who experienced sexualized violence as young people said they first told a friend or sibling about the experience. However, many peers later reported that they did not have the necessary information to really help their friend at this critical moment.
To help bridge this gap, the #MyFriendToo U.S. Committee, ChildFund International, and Protect Children have developed https://www.myfriendtoous.org/, a website designed specifically for young people that provides practical tools to help young people safely support each other. This important initiative is led by a multidisciplinary panel of professionals working across youth safety, digital protection, and survivor advocacy in the United States. Members of the #MyFriendToo U.S. Committee include: Glen Pounder, Scouting America, Scott Hartman, Boys Town, Yvonne Manhovo, Deaf Kidz International, Sonya Ryan, Carly Ryan Foundation, Shelby Knox,Parents Together, Joe Laramie,National Criminal Justice Training Center.
The focus was on creating a child-friendly and easily accessible platform to help young people who are taken into confidence by a friend after a sexualized assault. The site provides information on how to deal with this situation, how to get professional support and how to involve adults. It motivates friends who have experienced sexualized violence not to hide it and encourages them to seek help together. Young people are provided with a range of practical guidance, such as message temples, to help them involve adults. In addition, the website provides resources for teachers, caregivers and guardians, as it is known that friends of those affected often confide in a trusted adult around them. Overall, the website offers comprehensive information on sexualized violence against minors as well as appropriate protective measures. In this way, it helps to reduce the stigma of sexualized violence and reassure young people that support is available.
Preparations are underway to extend the service to other European countries, including Croatia, Poland, Latvia and the UK. Translations into other languages and additional accessible tools for children and young people are planned for the future to ensure that the site remains as inclusive and accessible as possible. For example, the site is currently being prepared in American Sign Language (ASL).