For Fabiola Martínez, president of the Kike Osborne Foundation, writing ‘Cuando el silencio no es una opción. Lo que nunca conté’ (When Silence is Not an Option. What I Never Told) was "essential." In the book, she poured out everything she learned in therapy "so that others who may identify with it can find help". In it, she shares her testimony as a victim of childhood sexual abuse: "For me, it has been crucial to speak out about a subject I believe is important to bring to light", confessed the author, who added that after reading it, many people had written to her saying "they had verbalised for the first time that they had suffered childhood sexual abuse."

Martínez presented her book at the Manuel España Theatre, alongside the mayoress of Mijas, Ana Mata (PP), and the journalist Isabel Naranjo. "Fabiola’s testimony can help us understand how to interpret these signs and take action in such situations", said the mayoress, who is also in charge of the Family and Equal Opportunities Department at the Town Hall. The mayoress believed that Fabiola Martínez’s testimony is also "a warning signal" that a child "is a victim of sexual abuse." "The Mijas Town Hall HAS a team of professionals with the experience needed to support all those families who suspect that their child may be facing sexual abuse or bullyin", added Mata, who highlighted the role of the ‘agente tutor’ (a specialised police officer assigned to schools) in dealing with these and other cases and the mental health protocol of the Mijas Town Hall. 

Prevention 

Schools and families are key when it comes to identifying possible cases, according to Martínez, who believes that "prevention is education". "If we teach our children to recognise that they are being abused and show them that we are a trusted figure who will protect them, we are already giving them powerful tools so they can turn to us and tell us what is happening".

When it comes to recognising the signs, the writer also delved into the role that schools can play, as teachers, she explained, spend many hours a day with children. "The problem is that protocols exist, but they are often not put into action", said Martínez, who encouraged society not to look away. "Every adult who is around or who have some kind of relationship with children is responsible for their childhood", said the former model.

Share it with this link: https://mijasint.com/?a=34326