ASK FOR ARIEL

Hi, my name is Verity and I am the founder of the initiative 'Ask for Ariel'.

Ask for Ariel is an initiative which aims to break down the language barrier for children who are being sexually abused. As a survivor of sexual abuse myself I understand how difficult it is to verbalise what is happening.

Since starting Ask for Ariel an amazing team of survivors and professionals have come forward to fight for children who can't find their voice. As with all things, we can't do this alone.

Our vision is to:

*Travel to schools giving presentations to children, teachers and parents to teach them how to Ask for Ariel and what to do when a child puts the protocol in place.

*Have posters which explain:

What Ask for Ariel is and how to ask for Ariel.

A selection of thought processes which the majority of abused children have.

To show the child that they are not the only one on the planet going through this.

There is an army of support ready for them.

*We will also have business-sized cards which can be handed to a safe person after the child has written their name on it so that the receiver will know that child needs help.

Sexual abusers thrive on shame and silence. once we start to break down these barriers we can start to free children from the confines of abuse. We cannot rely on looking for signs and hoping we get it right.

As with everything this all costs money. We hope to get more media coverage and support through social media. We have already had amazing support from our local press and are hoping to find sponsorships.

Until then we are relying on the help of those who can give what they can.

I know times are so hard for everyone at the moment. All help is appreciated massively and absolute transparency of all spending will be shown on the Ask for Ariel page.

Facebook page: Ask for Ariel

Private Facebook group for survivors and professionals: Ask for Ariel

Instagram: Ask for Ariel