Our logo at Stop Trafficking US has been the starfish because it really does optimize what we’re trying to do… save kids …one kid at a time. It matters…it matters to each and every child we save from sexual abuse and exploitation. The story of that little girl picking up the starfish on the beach and saving it by throwing it back to the safety of the sea, helping one by one, it matters… saving one makes a difference – saving more is a huge difference.
I live in Maine and focus my efforts on educating the people of Maine and preventing future Maine children from abuse… One in five children in Maine are somehow sexually abused… and that needs to STOP – hence the name of our organization – Stop Trafficking US.
Maine is a special place, and we need to protect that, and our future generations… I have become well-known for my morning sunrise posts on Facebook & Instagram of Sebago Lake in Maine. People are moved by beauty, nature, serenity, the pristine lake, the calm, the untouched…
At Stop Trafficking US – our brand is the beautiful nature we have here in Maine. The starfish on the beach that needs protecting, the lakes that need to be kept clean, the rivers, the woods… nature. Our message is a method of educating human beings to take responsibility and protect our children too, regardless of anything else.
The systemic impact of an abused young person is lifelong, and deep, and devastating – leading to low self-worth, vulnerability to be abused further, or trafficked, sold, or led into a life of crime, theft, drug abuse, and incarceration. Victims even repeat the cycle of abuse on the next generation when there seems no alternative, no acknowledgement or guidance down another better path…
The grownups living in our community that are broken and dysfunctional cause an enormous financial blow to our economy. Unhealed grownups perpetuate the cycle by inflicting abuse and neglect on their vulnerable children and future generations. The impact is wide-spread, school drop outs, addicts, perpetuators of crime, sex trafficking…
Our goal is to educate and motivate our community in such a profound way that we feel compelled to do our own healing work and then join with their healed community in creating resources that provide a ripple of fact of healing throughout the community.
What we will learn from Victor Vieth at our Stop Trafficking US sponsored conference Sept 12-14 Keep Maine Kids Safe is that we can end this cycle within three generations if everyone does their part.
Many years ago there was one place that ended slavery.
One place that paid women equally for a job.
One place where women were allowed to vote.
One place that no longer allowed child labor.
One place that no longer tolerated animal abuse.
Nelson Mandela, “Everyone thinks something is impossible until it’s been done.”
Ending child abuse in the state of Maine seems overwhelming and frankly impossible. …. but as my husband says “we specialize in impossible.” Its matters to each and every child, just like our starfish. Let’s make a difference, let’s stop the cycle of child sex abuse. Join us at Stop Trafficking US in our mission.
Yours Truly, Catherine