We live in a world of crisis. The global “metacrisis” or “polycrisis” challenges our mission to create a safer world for children… and yet we have a wondrous opportunity for people around the world to come together and take action at an unprecedented scale.
My story shows that childhood sexual violence is not remarkable. Sadly, it is remarkably common.
I uncovered the memory of a sexual assault and rape that I'd experienced in the Boy Scouts of America, now known as Scouting America, in 2017. This memory had been repressed for nearly two decades until I walked onto the grounds of a Scout camp in the Carolina mountains and faced a devastating and painfully vivid memory.
In a moment, my life changed. The years of struggle and pain and hardship were thrust into a new light. The feeling that I did not belong – that I was unworthy – took on a new meaning. I was forced to grapple with the knowledge that I am a man who had survived childhood sexual violence. How could I process the repercussions of a single moment alone in a shoddy bathroom in the woods and the way it encompassed my life, my relationships, and my personal, physical and emotional health?
Fortunately, I did not have to process all of this alone. My journey of self-discovery coincided with the start of the #MeToo movement, and I watched with wonder and admiration as millions of others shared their pain and their trauma in public and in community. All around the world, survivors of sexual violence were standing up, speaking out, and showing the strength of vulnerability. Like countless others, I learned an invaluable lesson that our stories carry more meaning when they are woven together.
This trail toward healing and to action had been blazed – but that did not mean it was easy to walk. I stumbled forward a day at a time, clinging to the knowledge that I was not alone. In 2020, I joined the largest child abuse bankruptcy in U.S. history alongside tens of thousands of others. As I met with more survivors, I realized a powerful truth: when the same people you look up to are the ones marching by your side, that’s when you know you’ve found a movement.
The power of lived experience
Survivors are not simply people with sad stories or emotional tales or even genuine lived experience. We are true technical experts, having worked across fields as diverse as law and psychology and social work and entrepreneurship and policy development.
I have never been to law school, and yet my experience navigating the Scouting America bankruptcy has introduced me to the nuances of Chapter 11 bankruptcy*, mass tort litigation**, and the insurance industry’s engagement with youth serving organizations. Policies and legislation may be words on a page, but it is people who must live through the impacts of these words.
Policymakers rightfully emphasize the importance of data. You cannot draft a piece of legislation just by trying to guess what the issues may be. But what is data if not a collection of human experiences? Every data point is a human life. In this field, every data point is a person who has experienced the trauma of childhood sexual violence.
Today, I am grateful to have the opportunity to contribute to a global movement of survivors and allies. I have the opportunity to speak to the expertise myself and millions of others have gained along the way.
Survivors are invaluable in the effort to build a safer world for children and adolescents. We know where the gaps are because we are the ones that fell through them.
November’s Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to make sure that survivors are in the room. Governments and delegations from around the world are not only coming together to prioritize how we address violence against children; they are taking proactive efforts to center survivors.
Grassroots networks, civil society organizations, and leaders working at all levels of government and society are discussing how to improve international cooperation and to break the silos that so often hamper progress. Throughout these discussions, survivors are being engaged like never before.
Perhaps most importantly, the Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children provides a pathway to secure new and impactful financial commitments alongside commitments to develop legislation and pursue intergovernmental action. With survivors in the room, we can drive forward both legislative and cultural change.
Technology-facilitated violence: entering a new age of harm and abuse
One of the most critical issues of our time is the rise of technology-facilitated violence against children and adolescents. At this very moment, the most powerful companies in the world are accelerating the adoption of new technologies around the world. While this brings new and wonderful opportunities, it also creates new risks for our most vulnerable.
For a growing number of children and adolescents, there is no “digital divide”. There is no distinction between “online” and “offline”. Children and adolescents increasingly use phones, tablets, and laptops to communicate, engage with friends, learn new skills, and navigate the physical world. And perpetrators are increasingly using these same technologies to commit violence.
More than 300 million children face online sexual exploitation or abuse each year. More than 100 million child sexual abuse images and videos were reported online globally in 2023. AI-generated images and videos of abuse are rising like never before. As technology reaches more communities globally, it brings with it unprecedented risks for our children.
The Global Ministerial Conference is a milestone to ensure that governments and companies place the safety of children and adolescents at the center of technological design. Their safety must never be an afterthought.
Together, we can end violence against children
I began by stating we live in a world of interconnected global crises. In many ways, children are more vulnerable than ever to the risks of violence, and yet, there has never been a better opportunity to address these risks at scale.
We cannot solve any one crisis on its own. Climate change, economic instability, increased migration, rising conflict. All of these place our children at risk of violence, and no one issue can be addressed on its own.
Yet, there is a reason for hope. Leaders from every nation and community are recognizing the stakes and the need to come together like never before. Our challenges may be more complicated and existential, but our ability to organize and cooperate is stronger than ever. At this moment, we must find within ourselves a sense of hope and action. We must be brave, so children can be safe.
* A case filed under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code is frequently referred to as a "reorganization" bankruptcy, usually involving a corporation or partnership. A Chapter 11 debtor usually proposes a plan of reorganization to keep its business alive and pay creditors over time.
** A mass tort occurs when many people are harmed by the same act or omission. All of those individual victims have claims against the same defendants arising out of the same circumstances.