My name is Amy Mullins and I am the founder and CEO of A Courageous Voice. I started ACV to have a platform to help children have the opportunity to have a voice against child sexual abuse. As a survivor myself, I didn't want to see another child go through what I had gone through. It changed my life in ways that I could not have imagined. Currently, there are 42 million survivors walking around in the US today. That's a staggering statistic that has to change!

Over 90% of children are sexually abused by a family member or by someone the family knows. My abuse began around the age of 12 and it was by a family member. My voice was taken from me, as was my innocense. At one point, suicide was an opportunity for me because it meant that I would finally be able to escape the trauma and pain. I was told that I would be killed if I ever told anyone, that I would cause embarrassment to the family, and that no one would believe me anyway. Most children never tell anyone about their experiences because of the fear, which means that there are a lot of cases out there where the perpatrator goes unprosecuted and the child is left feeling the shame for possibly the rest of their lives. 

I knew that I did not want to see another child experience what I had gone through, so I began working with youth over 30 years ago, being their voice. Working with at risk youth became my love and passion, and to this day I am still involved helping in the Detroit community wherever I can. I can't imagine how this pandemic has affected kids that were unable to have a safe person to go to, or have been stuck have in an abusive environment. 

Using prevention education and raising awareness around child sex abuse, and empowering children and families to break the silence can help to put an end to this violence. 10% of children will be sexally abused by the time they are 18 years old, and the impact of child sex abuse lasts a lifetime. The lasting effects of CSA are rising healthcare costs, addiction, suicide, increased crime as a victim or a predator, and emotional and mental issues. I work with other youth organizations, community centers and schools helping children have a voice, and educate them on child safety to use as tools to help reduce these statisctics and impact childrens lives for a better tomorrow. Every child deserves to be safe from abuse!