Double your impact! Donate to Bravehearts Day and help protect children against child sexual abuse

With a 25-year legacy of breaking the silence on child sexual abuse, Australian child protection organisation, Bravehearts, is urging Australians to ‘Show Your Heart’ and help protect children from the insidious crime of child sexual abuse by donating to Bravehearts Day on Friday, 9 September – with all donations matched by Bravehearts’ generous sponsors, Superannuation Advice Australia and Busy Bees Early Learning Australia.

Held during National Child Protection Week (September 4-10), Bravehearts Day builds on the legacy of White Balloon Day and is Australia’s largest and longest-running child protection campaign aimed at raising vital funds and awareness for the prevention of child sexual abuse and supporting survivors of this crime.

Bravehearts CEO, Alison Geale said she is on a mission to educate more children about personal safety and consent, especially as reports show a growing trend of sexual violence perpetrated by other minors^[1].

Police data shows that the majority of child sexual abuse allegations to police occurring within an institutional location involved a minor as the person of interest – ranging from 32% of cases in the ACT to 93% in QLD^[1].

“With approximately 1 in 5 children experiencing child sexual abuse^[2], we need communities across Australia to band together and donate to help protect children from sexual abuse – an atrocious crime no child should suffer,” said Ms Geale.

“We are calling on Australians to ’Show Your Heart’ and donate to help Bravehearts deliver its education programs to more children, which teach kids about personal safety, respectful relationships and consent. These skills are vital in protecting our kids and safeguarding their futures,” she said.

“Over the past few years, COVID-19 lockdowns have also exposed children to more risk than ever – particularly as they isolated with predators who are either family members or known to the family, which is the case in up to 90% of child sexual abuse cases^[3].

“With the support of Australians across the nation, we can create a world where people, communities and systems all work together to protect children from sexual abuse. Bravehearts is relying on the generosity of the community this Bravehearts Day to help educate, empower and protect our kids in order to make this a reality,” she said.

Over the past twenty-five years, the funds raised through White Balloon Day, now Bravehearts Day, have helped to educate more than 1.5 million children across Australia about personal safety via Bravehearts Ditto’s Keep Safe Adventure Program and ProjectYou! as well as helped to fund counselling and support services for children and families impacted by child sexual abuse.

With the aim to raise more than $250,000 this year, Australians can support Bravehearts Day by wearing a purple heart, showing their support on social media by using hashtags #ShowYourHeart #BraveheartsDay2022 and #ProtectKids, and donating. All donations, big or small, will go towards the prevention and treatment of child sexual abuse and will be matched by Bravehearts generous sponsors.

Bravehearts Day has been successful for more than a quarter of a century and notably drove a staggering 514% increase in disclosures of child sexual abuse to the Queensland Police Service in its first year.

The campaign was formally known as White Balloon Day and has this year rebranded to Bravehearts Day amid growing concern about the environmental impact of balloons.

Bravehearts acknowledges that White Balloon Day holds significant meaning for survivors of child sexual abuse and although it has adopted a new name, the essence of the day remains.

Bravehearts Day and the campaign’s matched giving is made possible by the support of major sponsors Superannuation Advice Australia and Busy Bees Learning Australia and is funded by Commonwealth’s Department of Social Services, National Initiatives.

Double your impact! To donate to Bravehearts Day or for more information, visit: www.braveheartsday.com.au or call 1800 272 831.

References

[1]. (Parkinson, Lewig, Malvaso, Arney, Katz, & Newton, 2017).

[2]. (JPrice-Robertson, Bromfield and Vassallo, 2010; Mills, Kisely, Alati, Strathearn, & Najman, 2016; Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, 2017).

[3]. (Australian Bureau of Statics 2017; Quadara, Nagy, Higgins & Siegel, 2015).