Mission Statement
Child SASH (Child Sexual Abuse Stops Here) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating the number of children who are sexually abused. We seek to educate the public on the importance of reporting known or suspected child sexual abuse to law enforcement or a state agency. 90% of child sexual abuse victims know their abuser. The number of sexually abused children will only begin to decrease when we as individuals and as a society begin to understand that the crime of child sexual abuse must be reported, regardless of the relationship to the offender.

Can you or someone you know relate to any of these stories?

When Maria* was 8, her uncle came into the bathroom while she was showering. She didn’t know that he was there until she felt the draft from the shower curtain being opened. She screamed and asked him to get out, but he wouldn’t. He stayed in the bathroom until she grabbed a towel and left in tears. She told her parents about what happened. They told Maria to be careful around him. They never reported the incident to police. Years later, Maria discovered that her uncle had sexually abused her cousins for years.

Jeremy’s dad left when he was 2 so he looked forward to the time spent with his coach. Coach would invite Jeremy to his car where he kept men’s magazines under the front seat. Jeremy told his mom about it. His mom didn’t like it but she didn’t want to make waves because Coach paid for Jeremy to play on the team. Jeremy’s mom didn’t report the abuse by his coach. Coach continued to abuse Jeremy and some of the other boys on the team.

Dennis never liked it when his parents asked his older cousin, Keira to come over to babysit. Dennis always felt like he did something wrong because Keira made him do things that made him feel ashamed and dirty. When Dennis finally told his parents about Keira, they told him to keep it quiet because Keira and her parents already had enough problems to deal with. They didn’t ask Keira to babysit anymore but they never made any report of the abuse. Sometime later, they found out that Dennis wasn’t the only victim. Keira had also been abusing boys at her church.

The whole church community loved Brother Frank. He was always the first one to offer to take kids on a campout or to a movie. Angie felt very special when Brother Frank invited her to go to a movie with him. Angie was uncomfortable during the movie because he had rested his hand under her dress the entire time. Angie talked to her grandma about what happened at the movie. Angie’s grandma was shocked and saddened by what Angie said. Her grandma took Angie to the church to confront them with the matter. While Angie sat outside the church office, her grandma talked with the church leaders. After a while, her grandma came out in tears and took Angie home. They changed churches, but nothing else was ever said or done.

Danielle was 7 when her mom started to invite different men to her house. She didn’t know why her mom would want her to “act like a dancer” in front of the men. Danielle cried when the men would ask her to do things that she didn’t like. Danielle told her aunt about it. Her aunt called her a liar and told Danielle that she was a bad girl for lying. Her aunt told her that she better not ever mention it again or she might be taken to live somewhere else. No report was made. Danielle didn’t mention it again until she talked with a counselor as an adult.

If you or someone you know is in a situation similar to one of these, report it.

You or the person you know can only find safety and healing when the abuse stops.

*All names and circumstances are fictional and for illustrative purposes only.