Secrets Revealed: Addressing Child Sexual Abuse in the U.S. Virgin Islands
Increase awareness of and education about child sexual abuse in the Virgin Islands by producing an innovative weekly radio and podcast series as a strategy to prevent future abuse and increase collaboration among victim service providers.
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Communities
Adults Boys Bystanders Communities of color Girls Latinx Men Parents/Foster Parents Students Survivors Women Youth/Adolescents/Young Adult -
Products
Resource: 26-episode radio drama Silence Speaks, Secrets Revealed
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System
Advocacy/rape crisis -
Level
Local
Strategies
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Enhance Partnerships
Collaborated with many community partners to successfully deliver a 26-week radio serial called Silence Speaks, Secrets Revealed. Radio stations began airing the episodes on September 4, 2018 through February 26, 2019.
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Provide Resources
The stories focus on young survivors of child sexual abuse - a 7-year-old boy, a 16-year-old pageant queen and a 15-year-old girl - to not only bring awareness but remove barriers from talking about child sexual abuse. WCSTX reported an increase in counseling services requests following the serial for victims of child sexual abuse, including more male adults who are coming forward, admitting that they were victimized as children, and seeking services. WCSTX noted many parents report listening to episodes with their children enabling them to broach a serious and uneasy topic with their children.
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Raise Awareness
The 26 episodes were also live-streamed on Facebook and posted online, to Soundcloud, and Facebook. WCSTX a radio show called “Let’s Talk About It; The After Show,” to talk about this series and have hosted such guests as representatives from the VI Departments of Human Services and Education, private therapists and physicians, and the VI Police Department.