Keep Kids Safe

Staying at home and being online doesn’t always mean staying safe.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many families are now facing disruptions in routine, isolation from society, more time spent at home and online, financial insecurity, stress, and anxiety, and as a result, the risk of violence against women and children in all forms is on the rise.
‍
Many children are now hidden from the caring adults, community members, and mandated reporters who would have protected them: friends, neighbors, family members, teachers, doctors, dentists, and even child protective service professionals. Additionally, large numbers of children are spending unprecedented time online, increasing exposure to online violence, sexual exploitation, and abuse.

Our national response to COVID-19 must keep kids safe from the virus and also #keepkidssafe from violence at home and online.

Led by a group of adult survivors of child sexual abuse and national leaders, we are calling on Congress to take urgent action. Join us and help #keepkidssafe during COVID-19 and beyond.

We need to ensure that the most marginalized and vulnerable kids can access services.

The COVID-19 pandemic is having a devastating impact across the United States, and the data shows COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted communities of color, further exposing longtime racial inequities. We also know that longstanding structural barriers have made it more difficult for Black and Indigenous communities to access a variety of critical services focused on prevention, healing, and justice to end child sexual violence. In some cases, the systems designed to protect individuals and families have actually caused harm and exacerbated existing inequities.

This is unacceptable. We must work together to dismantle these barriers and ensure that these systems work to protect every child and serve all families and communities during COVID-19 and beyond.

We can help do this by strengthening programs that not only prevent child abuse and protect kids but also provide trauma-informed services that help abused children heal. In particular, we need to expand existing funding to grassroots organizations at the frontlines of child protection with programs that effectively serve diverse racial, ethnic, and religious communities, and that provide care for survivors and support for professionals who work to protect children. We must also work with allied organizations to ensure women and other at-risk populations are safe from violence.

We All Have A Role To Play

We all have a role to play to prevent violence and #keepkidssafe.

Now more than ever, we must act to build and expand on the services to help our country’s vulnerable children and youth.

‍
Violence is preventable. Together, we can create a healthier, safer world for every child. Join us and #keepkidssafe.

1. Read Our Call to the 2020 Presidential Candidates

Thanks to your support, Keep Kids Safe sent a letter to the U.S. presidential candidates calling for bold initiatives to end sexual violence against children with a particular focus on prevention, healing, and justice. Read the final letter here.

Thank you for helping #keepkidssafe

Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form. Please try again, or look below for other ways to help #keepkidssafe

The Presidential Initiative must include a focus on prevention, healing, and justice

Even before COVID-19, child abuse resources were limited and the welfare system was overwhelmed. 1 in 10 children are sexually abused before their 18th birthday

2. Sign the Letter to Congress

Add your name to the letter calling for urgent action to protect children. With a simple click, you are making a powerful statement to #keepkidssafe. Join survivors and supporters from across the nation who want to ensure every child and adolescent is safe at home and online.

Thank you for helping #keepkidssafe

Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form. Please try again, or look below for other ways to help #keepkidssafe

3. Contact Your
Representative

To email your representative, follow the steps below.
Prefer a phone call? Click here.
‍
Step 1
Find your representatives by putting your zipcode into the widget below (your representatives may already be there). Please note your message will be sent to all reps who appear.

Step 2
Click 'Send Message'.

Step 3

then paste into the box (feel free to customize).

Step 4
Select 'Welfare' topic, click send.

Final step
Create account. The easiest way to do this is to click 'log-in with Facebook'.

Many others have clicked. Will you?

More than 90% of children who are victims of sexual abuse know their abuser, of which 30% report being abused by family members

Copy this message

I’m writing to ask for your support in keeping kids safe and investing at least $300 million in “emergency funding” to strengthen child safety and protection programs in the next COVID-19 Relief Package.
Staying at home doesn’t always mean staying safe. The ongoing impacts of COVID-19 in the United States are also exposing vulnerable children to an increased risk of violence. Research from RAINN shows that children are at risk for child abuse at home and in their neighborhoods; a third of abusers are close family members, and over 80% are known to the child.
I believe that our nation’s response to COVID-19 must include resources to help protect kids, prevent violence, and provide services to help abused children heal and seek justice.
Child abuse in the U.S. was already rampant; the pandemic is exacerbating the issue. Many children are now hidden from an army of mandated reporters who would have protected them: teachers, doctors, dentists, and even child protective service professionals. As families struggle with disruptions in routine, isolation from society, financial insecurity, stress, and anxiety, the risk of child abuse in all its forms is on the rise—particularly for children already living in vulnerable situations.
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted serious problems for vulnerable children. But timely action by Congress can help reduce their risk for violence and keep kids safe.
Thank you.

Read this script

Hi. My name is [____] and I am constituent from [city, state].

I’m calling to ask [Senator/Representative _______] to invest at least $300 million in “emergency funding” to strengthen child safety and protection programs in the next COVID-19 Relief Package. Stay at home orders and isolation are vital to flattening the curve of coronavirus, but they are also exposing children to an increased risk of violence.
‍
Many children are now hidden from an army of mandated reporters who would have protected them: teachers, doctors, dentists, and even child protective service professionals. Many states have sidelined child protective service workers and have failed to provide personal protective equipment to ensure our child welfare professionals can be in contact with our most at-risk youth.
‍
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted serious problems for vulnerable children. But timely action by Congress can help reduce their risk for violence and keep kids safe. I believe that our response to COVID-19 must include resources to help protect kids, prevent violence, and provide services to help abused children heal and seek justice.
‍
Thank you.

Read this script

Hi. My name is [____] and I am constituent from [city, state].

I’m calling to ask [Senator/Representative _______] to invest at least $300 million in “emergency funding” to strengthen child safety and protection programs in the next COVID-19 Relief Package. Stay at home orders and isolation are vital to flattening the curve of coronavirus, but they are also exposing children to an increased risk of violence.
‍
Many children are now hidden from an army of mandated reporters who would have protected them: teachers, doctors, dentists, and even child protective service professionals. Many states have sidelined child protective service workers and have failed to provide personal protective equipment to ensure our child welfare professionals can be in contact with our most at-risk youth.
‍
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted serious problems for vulnerable children. But timely action by Congress can help reduce their risk for violence and keep kids safe. I believe that our response to COVID-19 must include resources to help protect kids, prevent violence, and provide services to help abused children heal and seek justice.
‍
Thank you.

Prefer a phone call?

NCMEC reports a 106% increase in reports of online child exploitation since the pandemic began

4. Post On
Social Media

Spread awareness of the increased risk of facing children during COVID-19 Our movement grows when you share our messages on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram using #keepkidssafe. Tag your elected officials too! Use the button below to easily spread the word.

View the social media toolkit.

Social media toolkit

5. Commit To
Preventing Violence

Here's the fact: 1 in 10 children in the U.S. will be sexually abused before the age of 18. But here's another fact: Every adult can play a role in ending violence against children. Learn about small steps you can take to #keepkidssafe and prevent child abuse.

Many others have clicked. Will you?

For the first time ever, minors make up half of the visitors to National Sexual Assault Hotline

Every child deserves
to be safe.

As the United States continues to grapple with the many problems created by the COVID-19 pandemic, one thing is clear: We must act now to protect vulnerable children from violence. Your voice has the power to influence elected officials. Together, we can drive positive change on behalf of children. Join us and #keepkidssafe today!

Take Action Now