April and Abuse Prevention

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Correction: In the podcast, I talk of Dina Martinelli as the author of "Everyone Was Silent." Diane Tarantini wrote this book. My apologies!

Mental illness rarely exists in isolation. Living with paranoid schizophrenia presents daily challenges, but when childhood trauma enters the equation, the struggle intensifies in ways many don't understand. My personal journey with schizophrenia is deeply intertwined with my experiences as a survivor of sibling and parental abuse – when one flares, the other follows, creating a complex web of symptoms that can be overwhelming.

April serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of prevention, designated as both Child Abuse Prevention Month and Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Throughout this episode, I share how these initiatives connect directly to my mental health experience and why I'm passionate about raising awareness. From wearing teal on April 1st to support survivors of sexual violence to donning blue on April 4th for child abuse prevention, these simple acts create visibility for causes that remain stigmatized despite their prevalence.

I'm excited to highlight incredible resources that have helped me and can help others, including Feather Berkower's Parenting Safe Children workshops happening April 5th and 12th. These sessions provide practical tools for parents and caregivers to protect children from abuse. I also recommend several books and websites including stopitnow.org and safesiblings.org that offer valuable information. My own book "Three Kidnapped, Three Siblings, Three Furies" explores sibling abuse through fiction, providing another avenue for understanding these difficult experiences. Whether you're a survivor seeking validation, a parent wanting to protect your children, or simply someone who cares about ending abuse cycles, I hope you'll find valuable insights and resources in this deeply personal episode. Join me in breaking the silence around childhood trauma and its lasting effects on mental health.

#WearTealDay #SAAM2025 #VALOR #NotMyShame #ActToEndIt #StressAwarenessMonth #UnitedWeChange #TogetherWeAct #ChildAbusePreventionMonth #WearBlueDay #EveryChildNeedsAHero #bodysafetyconversation #childsexabuseprevention #parentingsafechildren #bodysafetytalks #parentworkshop #EndChildSexualAbuse #adultresponsibility #offlimits #grooming #CourageousConversation #OffLimits

Pastime With Good Company by King Henry VIII, played by The Chestnut Brass Company 

Pastime With Good Company, composed by King Henry VIII, played by The Chestnut Brass Company

Episode Transcript

Diana Dirkby (00:00):
Hello, my name is Diana Dirkby and I live with
paranoid schizophrenia.
You are listening to my podcast"Schizophrenia As I Live It.
The title of today's episode isApril and Abuse Prevention.
You may wonder why this fallsunder the subject of this

(00:27):
podcast.
It's because I was also avictim of sibling abuse and
parental abuse and it does havean effect on how I experience a
relapse of my schizophrenia.

(00:47):
If I have a relapse of myschizophrenia, the PTSD from my
childhood experiences kicks inand makes matters much worse.
If you are following thispodcast, you will know that I
have published a book "ThreeKidnapped, Three Siblings, Three

(01:08):
Furies," about three types ofsibling abuse: emotional,
physical and sexual.
You can find it on Amazon.
April is a designated month forseveral types of abuse
prevention.
It is National Child AbusePrevention Month and Sexual

(01:31):
Assault Awareness Month, or SAAM.
Both of these April themesinclude child sexual abuse, also
known as CSA, and manyconcentrate on April as Child
Sexual Abuse Prevention Month.

(01:52):
Sexual Assault Awareness Monthhas a Day of Action and Teal Day
on the first Tuesday of April,so that's falling on April 1st
in 2025, which is today.
On this day, you can show yoursupport for survivors of sexual

(02:14):
harassment and abuse by wearingteal the color of sexual
violence prevention.
I myself am wearing teal today.
Another way to show support isto use, where relevant, the

(02:50):
hashtag #SAAM 2025 on socialmedia.
Other common hashtags are #UnitedWeChange #TogetherW e Act.
This year, the organizers ofSexual Assault Awareness Month
specifically ask for the usageof #VALOR as a hashtag to
recognize the work of ValorUS,which advocates for sexual abuse

(03:11):
prevention.
Advocates for child abuseprevention hold a Go Blue Day
encouraging people to supportchild abuse prevention by
wearing blue on the first Fridayof April, so April 4th 2025.

(03:31):
I will be wearing blue on thatday.
Common hashtags on social mediaused for Child Abuse Prevention
include #Child AbusePrevention Month #Wear Blue Day
and #Every Child NeedsA Hero.

(03:54):
Some advocates for Child SexualAbuse Prevention Month make
billboards to encourage victimsto break their silence.
For example, the advocacy groupEnd1In4.
org, whose website is End1In4.
org, where one and four are thenumbers, not the words, has a

(04:20):
"See the Signs campaign in April, placing large roadside
billboards to get peoplethinking about child sexual
abuse and supporting survivors.
Some of the billboards, forexample, show a child looking
very sad and the title is yourChild Sad or Sexually Abused.

(04:44):
Among the relevant hashtags forsocial media posts are Act to
End it and Not my Shame.
Although I have written a bookthat closely reflects my
real-life experiences of siblingabuse and included incidents of

(05:05):
parental abuse in my previousnovel, "The Overlife, available
on Amazon, I still have a longway to go in discovering other
people's writings on child abuse, particularly child sexual
abuse.
I read many relevant referencesbefore writing "Three Kidnapped

(05:25):
, three Siblings, three Furies,but much more is available,
mainly in practical advice forparents and memoirs.
As I discussed in my lastEpisode, I wrap my actual
experiences and accurate factsabout abuse in fiction, which
has the potential to reach awider audience and has been a

(05:48):
fruitful genre in my case.
A fierce advocate for childsexual abuse prevention who I
have met recently via socialmedia is Feather Berkower, who
founded Parenting Safe Children.
A good place to visit if youwant to prevent your child from

(06:08):
being a victim of child sexualabuse as a parent is Feather
Burkauer's websiteParentingSafeChildren.
com.
You can also check out herInstagram account, @parentings
afec hildren.
Feather Berkower runs a liveZoom workshop on April 5th, 2025

(06:29):
and April 12th, 2025, markingApril as Child Abuse Prevention
Month.
Here are the details of theworkshop, which I strongly urge
you to attendParenting Safe Children Parent
Workshop.
Parents, caregivers, extendedfamily and anyone who cares for

(06:54):
and about children will receivea certificate of attendance and
materials.
Here are the details of thetimes of the workshop
Part 1 on April 5th, 2025.
It runs from 9am to 11.30amMountain Standard Time, which is

(07:23):
11am to 1.30pm Eastern StandardTime.
Part 2 on April 12th, 2025,from 9am to 11.30am Mountain
Standard Time, which is 11am to1.30pm Eastern Standard
Time.

(08:01):
c.
.

(08:55):
safesiblings.
stopitnow.
This Parenting Safe Childrenworkshop is presented live by
Feather #body via Zoom #Childindividual person present in
#parenting is #body to purchasea#parent.
#end child sexual buy a#adult,go#off parentingsafechildrencom.
#grooming Backslash#courageous.
If you cannot attend the liveworkshop, you can register for a
pre-recorded option on the samewebpage a pre-recorded option
on the same webpage For the liveworkshops.
The cost is $65 plus $4.57 fee.
Sales end on April 12, 2025.
The ticket price includes afive-hour workshop plus workshop
material handouts.
Tickets are non-refundable andnon-transferable to other
workshop dates.
I have my ticket and I amlooking forward to the workshops
.
Another Berkower website thatadvocates for child sexual abuse
prevention is stopitnoworg.
I also recommend the Instagramaccount siblingabuseforeverended
.
Siblingabuseforeverended has awebsite safesiblingsorg.
Common hashtags Feather Featheruses in her social media posts
are body safety conversation.
Child sex abuse prevention,parenting safe children Berkower
body safety talks, "Offworkshop end child sexual abuse,

(09:20):
adult responsibility, offlimits, grooming
courageous conversation.

(10:13):
3.
Babs Walters.
"Facing Burkower Jaguar"4.
Risa Shaw.
"Not kind enough to5.
Alice Perle.
"Resolve "L authors6.
Liz Kimchen who "L writtenmemoirs
There's child sexual abuse andwho here didn't know.
Thank you, feather.
Examples of her recommendationsand books Berkower found while
I was buying this literature are1.
Feather will and Sandy Verteler.
Off LimitsAs Guide to Keeping Kids Safe
from Sexual Abuse.
2.

(11:29):
!By Jane Epstein I Feel Real
Guilty.
I feel real guilty.
She runs a support website,siblingsexualtraumacom.
Facing the Jaguar Not Child'sPlay.
Resolve Six by Liz Kimchen,light in Bandaged Places.
I am grateful to Feather fordirecting me to these other
books and the women who wrotethem.
This list has helped me findother child abuse books, such as
Everyone Was Silent by DinaMartinelli.
It's encouraging and comfortingto witness all these brave and
practical efforts to protectchildren and comfort survivors,
encouraging them to speak out.
If you read my book ThreeKidnapped, three Siblings, three
Furies, you will learn that itfits into this context, even
though it is a fiction novel, sothere's a lot to think about
there, and I really hope youwill attend this workshop
organized by Feather Burkauer.
I think it will be a greatlearning experience and may help
a lot of people.
So, as always, let me end bythanking you for listening.