‘Wearing a little white ribbon does not make a difference’
Updated | By Olivia Phalaetsile
A woman, who
survived sexual assault as a child, says 16 Days of Activism is not enough to
tackle the abuse suffered by so many children.

Deborah Ho-Chung was raped when she was only six years old. This was followed by more sexual abuse between the ages of nine and sixteen.
Today the 57-year-old presents workshops on the prevention of child abuse through a programme called Conversations Beyond the Silence.
She teaches parents, teachers and caretakers how to spot the warning signs.
“16 days is not enough, it’s absolutely laughable. And wearing a little white ribbon really does not make a difference. We need to educate ourselves on what it’s about, we need to address the taboos and break the silence and we need to get that information on how to prevent this thing,” said Ho-Chung.
Ho-Chung says we need to believe and trust children when they speak out about abuse.
“When something like this happens to your child you need to do a couple of things. Believe them, tell them you love them, tell them it’s not their fault and tell them that you are going to help them get through this and fix it. That is what a child needs to hear; love, acceptance and believe. The statistics on how many children lie about abuse is so minuscule, and one can easily tell when a child is lying so we can’t use that excuse.”
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