At the end of World War I, fighting officially stopped at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918—Armistice Day was born, now known as Veteran’s Day. It was an official truce to all the fighting that claimed so many casualties. Today we are the victims of an ever-present yet unacknowledged war—the frequent bombardment of sexualized media, marketing and advertising through print, television and the internet that has robbed our youth of their innocence. We need a new truce, one that will only come by organized opposition to this war that affects all of our children and adolescents of all races and classes, creeds and beliefs, in this country and around the globe. iOppose, Inc. is willing to lead the troops in the battle against our hypersexualized culture.
iOppose, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded by licensed clinical social worker and former corporate executive Carol Conklin to help prevent child sexual abuse, interrupt the early sexualization of children and adolescents, and promote intervention efforts with individuals at risk of developing deviant sexual interests. Why did she start it? Look at the following statistics:
- Children now spend 45 hours per week with media, while only spending 30 hours per week in school and 17 hours with their parents.
- Research has shown a strong link between media exposure and childhood obesity, smoking and sexual activity.
- Some researchers estimate that 25% of girls and 16% of boys will experience childhood sexual abuse by the time they are 18 years old.
- Such abuse impacts health care costs across one’s lifespan. Woman who were sexually abused as girls have 16% higher health care costs, and that becomes 36% when they experience physical abuse as well.
Much like the drug and alcohol abuse expenditures after a DWI-related accident, federal and state governments spend billions of dollars annually to apprehend, convict, incarcerate and manage sex offenders after a crime has been committed. Meanwhile, few public or private dollars are invested in addressing sex addiction and early intervention with those at risk of committing illegal sexual acts. Consider this:
- If the U.S. spent a fraction of post-sex offense dollars on equipping the public with child abuse prevention strategies, this country would keep hundreds of thousands of potential victims from the consequences—emotional, mental and fiscal—of sexual exploitation and abuse.
- If the U.S. spent a fraction of post-sex offense dollars on early intervention strategies for individuals at risk of illegal sexual behaviors, this country would save billions of dollars in post-sex offense expenses, and deter ordinary people from becoming perpetrators, ruining their lives and the lives of their families.
This is why Ms. Conklin created iOppose. This is why iOppose is hosting its kick-off party and first fundraiser on 11.11.11. This is why iOppose needs your support. Join us.
Visit www.ioppose.org for details.
