Precious Little Ladies Inc. is giving away kids tablets to families for their annual awareness day #ItsOKToTell Day. Celebrated on March 16th during Women’s History Month, #ItsOkToTell Day is a day that can be used as a tool for parents to encourage open conversation with their children.
Through her experience surviving childhood sexual abuse, and being a single mom of 5, Precious Little Ladies Founder and President, Aziza Kibibi, believes that open communication about difficult issues is important to protecting children from exploitation.
“Because of the shame and guilt associated with being a victim and survivor of child sexual abuse, along with the negative association with “tattling”, children don’t report if they are being abused. For fear of getting in trouble or even feeling responsible for what’s happening to them, a child is more likely to keep the secret and the abuse continues,” states Aziza Kibibi.
According to the Federal Bureau of Justice Statistics, 60% of children are abused by someone close to the family. It is PLL’s mission to develop communication skills within the family and help identify resources in the community through social media, PSA’s, workshops, research and activities.
Some of these activities have been effected by the COVID-19 pandemic, but through continued virtual and television awareness raising campaigns, as well as social media videos that reached over 30,000 respectively in 2020 alone, PLL continues to address issues that effect women children, locally, nationally and internationally throughout the pandemic.
Aziza Kibibi says, “While the intention of It’s Okay To Tell Day is to help dispel fear in children pertaining to telling someone they trust about something ‘bad’ thats happening to them, the goal is to raise awareness on the importance of speaking out on the issues that plague our society. The first step to prevention is awareness. We have to keep the conversation about these issues going. What is done in the dark, eventually comes to the light. But too often it happens when it’s too late. Establishing National It’s Okay to Tell Day during Women’s History Month, is a step in the journey to end child sexual abuse.”
With many schools still engaging in remote learning, having tools like tablets and computers is essential to the online learning experience. Essex County Commissioners President Wayne L. Richardson, a consistent supporter of PLL, is contributing to the purchase of the tablets.
To learn more and to participate in the giveaway, go to https://PreciousLittleLadies.org. The giveaway deadline is March 13, 2021.
