Ashley Judd & Anthony Edwards Launch END1IN4 Child Sex Abuse Campaign, Lighting Up Times Square; Across Miami; & in L.A.

Ashley Judd Lights Up Times Square on one of the END1IN4 Child Sex Abuse Campaign Billboards. Photo: END1IN4

Anthony Edwards Lights Up Times Square one of the END1IN4 Child Sex Abuse Campaign Billboards. Photo: END1IN4

The END1IN4 "See The Signs & Act To End It" Campaign Features On Miami-Dade Metrorail Platform Digital Screens and Bus Shelters. Image: END1IN4

Campaign raises awareness that 1 in 4 children are sexually abused and encourages everyone to "See The Signs & Act To End It."

We need the general public to see the signs and act for children who are often too traumatized and manipulated to self-report sexual abuse—especially when the abuse is often in or close to the family.”

— Ashley Judd

MIAMI, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES, September 25, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ -- END1IN4, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to ending child sexual abuse has launched a confronting public awareness campaign with actors, survivors, and activists Ashley Judd and Anthony Edwards. As part of the campaign, Judd and Edwards lit up New York City's Times Square in a call-to-action billboard to “See The Signs & Act To End It,” in addition to launching digital displays across Miami and in LA, and accompanied by an online social media campaign, guiding people on how to seek help and support.

Both Ashley and Anthony endured sexual abuse as children and have also lived through the devastating mental health struggles in their own adulthoods and those of loved ones. Today, they live in healing and are examples of resilience and hope for those struggling with their own history of abuse.

The END1IN4 campaign launched in September National Suicide Prevention Month to draw attention to the tragedy that those who experience child sexual abuse are up to five times more likely to attempt suicide. On average in the United States, reports show that as many as one in four children (one in three girls and one in five boys) will experience child sexual abuse. Of all perpetrators, 93 percent are within or close to the family. These statistics are commonly regarded as underreported. The campaign aims to highlight that child sexual abuse is “closer to home,” more prevalent than most people think, and with outcomes more tragic than many know.

The billboards and digital displays place key questions on center stage, including “Your Child. Acting Out or Sexually Abused?” and “Your Child. A Loner or Sexually Abused?” The campaign encourages the general public to “See The Signs” and “Act To End It,” and highlights that there are “42 Million Strong Survivors.”

Ashley and Anthony also created video messages of encouragement that launched on social media with the hashtags #ActToEndIt, #END1IN4 and ChildrenAreNotForSex.

“We need the general public to see the signs and act for children who are often too traumatized and manipulated to self-report sexual abuse—especially when the abuse is often in or close to the family,” encourages Ashley Judd. “The signs in child victims and in adult survivors who struggle with mental health are often very clear. The problem is that we too often fail to act because we don’t want to see it and don’t know what to do to end it.”

Tragically, in 2022, Ashley’s mother Naomi, who experienced child sexual abuse, took her own life, succumbing to the disease of mental illness after many years of struggle. Ashley was sexually abused by a man for the first time in the second grade and shared, “I had the onset of childhood depression at that time, with the attendant symptoms and grief."

Anthony Edwards shares that he was sexually abused when he was 14 by someone he trusted and viewed as a father figure. “The shame of feeling responsible for something that was done to you can feel like a good reason to keep quiet and stay silent. Find the words. It’s hard, it can be uncomfortable, but it’s okay to talk about it,” encourages Edwards in a video message that he recorded for the campaign. Edwards is also Board Chair of 1in6, a non-profit organization that helps men who have had unwanted or abusive sexual experiences to live healthier, happier lives.

The campaign helps the general public to see the signs and to know what to do by directing people to the END1IN4.org web site, which includes information on common signs, links to local and national resources, and hotline numbers, including an easy recall hotline, (240) END-1IN4 that directs all calls to the 24-hour Childhelp National Child Abuse hotline. The campaign also seeks to encourage victims to reach out for help and support.

The campaign launched on "The Cube," a full-motion billboard in New York’s Times Square, on September 22 for a one-day feature. The campaign will run for one month on more than 100 digital outdoor displays in Miami, on the Rosecrans Avenue & San Diego Freeway billboards in L.A., and also ongoing across social media.

END1IN4, Inc. Founder, Kathy Andersen, also a survivor of child sexual abuse expressed, “We need people to know that child sexual abuse is closer to them than they think—93 percent of abusers are in or known to the family; and 1 in 4 children will suffer child sexual abuse. This is everyone’s problem, and it’s very likely among your family and friends. This campaign aims to help people to see the signs and know what to do to act to end it.”

The END1IN4 campaign in Miami is funded in part by The Children’s Trust. The Children’s Trust is a dedicated source of revenue established by voter referendum to improve the lives of children and families in Miami-Dade County.

ABOUT END1IN4, Inc.
END1IN4, Inc. is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization with a mission to end the impact and magnitude of child sexual abuse through breakthrough public awareness and engagement campaigns, education, and advocacy. On average, as many as 1 in 4 children will suffer child sexual abuse in the United States. Founder & CEO, Kathy Andersen, experienced sexual abuse by her adoptive father throughout her childhood. For more information, and to see the campaign graphics, visit END1IN4.ORG, or reach Kathy through the contacts above. If you or a loved one are struggling with mental health, please call 988, the National Suicide & Crisis Hotline, and in case of emergency, call 911. To reach the 24-hour Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline for help and support, call (240) END-1IN4.

KATHY ANDERSEN
END1IN4, Inc.
+1 786-423-2191
KATHY@END1IN4.ORG
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Ashley Judd's Video Message for the END1IN4 Child Sex Abuse Campaign