Springs non-profit launches effort to help child abuse survivors share their stories

In 2018, more than 220,000 calls were made to the Colorado child abuse and neglect hotline, and many of those victims will grow to be adults who continue to carry the weight of that trauma. Now, a new campaign by a Colorado Springs non-profit is helping survivors shed the stigma and tell their stories.

From the outside it looks like a home and on the inside there are toys and stuffed animals and places to talk. This is Safe Passage and every year, the Springs non-profit helps more than 1,000 kids and caregivers who are in the middle of abuse investigations.

“So we provide a coordinated response to an outcry made by a child when they’ve been abused,” said
Maureen Basenberg.

Basenberg is the executive director. She says starting conversations with the public about child abuse and neglect can be challenging.

“I think it’s getting worse. I think we’re seeing more,” she said. “We serve children who have been abused, also children who’ve witnessed domestic violence and assaults.”

Even with the #MeToo movement, survivors can often feel alone.

Now, Safe Passage, along with other children advocacy centers, is partnering with the National Children’s Alliance to take a positive approach to messaging.

They’re launching a campaign they’re calling #SHINE. The campaign focuses on sharing personal testimonials of survival. You can read #WhyWeShine stories on their website, instagram and Facebook pages.

Basenberg hopes, when you’re ready, you’ll share your own story and help a child find their voice.

“So it’s all about kids having a network where they feel that they have a voice and that they are heard,” she said.

For more information on the #SHINE campaign, click here. And if you know of child in need of help, you can call Safe Passage or the Colorado Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline at 1-844-CO-4-Kids.