NATIONWIDE EPIDEMIC: EVERY 9 MINUTES, ANOTHER CHILD. NOT JUST AN OKLAHOMA PROBLEM. A HUMAN PROBLEM.
OKLAHOMA – In light of the recent events and conversations circulating on social media surrounding cases like these, we wanted to share this story. Just as Stormi, Kayla, and Krysten courageously shared their experiences with us all, we believe it's important to continue bringing awareness to these issues.
So before you decide to scroll past this, we ask that you take just a couple of minutes to read all the way to the end. The statistics we dive into at the end are absolutely heartbreaking, and sadly they paint a real picture of what far too many children are living through every single day.
The more we talk about it, the harder it becomes for us to ignore. At the end of the day, every survivor deserves to be heard, believed, and supported. We hope by sharing their stories and having these conversations, that it will help move us, our communities, one step closer to making that happen. These conversations aren't always easy to have and can be pretty uncomfortable at times, but they are absolutely necessary.
So today, we are taking you outside of Oklahoma and over to our neighbors in South Dakota, where another heartbreaking story serves as a painful reminder that this isn't just happening here at home, it's happening in communities all across our country. All across our homes.
And the sad truth, y'all, is that this isn't an isolated incident. It's part of a much bigger problem that continues to impact families everywhere. Until we keep shining a light on these issues, speaking up, and refusing to stay silent, nothing is going to change.
Because change starts with awareness. And awareness starts with conversations like these.
SOUTH DAKOTA — This was absolutely heartbreaking for us to write about, and it had our stomachs in knots. No child should ever have to experience something like this.
A 38-year-old man known as Kenneth Wisdom has been charged with two felony counts of s*xual contact with a minor child. According to court documents, the charges stem from allegations that he repeatedly s*xually assaulted a 13-year-old child on multiple occasions.
According to investigators, on July 12th they received a report from a 13-year-old girl alleging the ongoing s*xual abuse. According to the court affidavit, she told investigators the first incident happened while she was sleeping at a home in Mitchell, where she woke up to find Wisdom allegedly assaulting her. The affidavit goes on to state that a second incident reportedly occurred about a year and a half later, sometime in February, at a different home in Mitchell.
The court affidavit also states that the 13-year-old girl alleged she was r*ped on four separate occasions while they were traveling together. When investigators interviewed Wisdom, court documents state that he denied the two alleged incidents that reportedly occurred in Mitchell. However, according to the affidavit, he admitted that while they were on the road, he had an inappropriate s*xual relationship with the minor and acknowledged having s*xual intercourse with her.
This is just sick, y'all. Our hearts absolutely break for that little girl. We can’t imagine the trauma that she will likely have to carry for the rest of her life because of the actions of one man. Your childhood is supposed to be filled with memories of safety, love, and innocence, not this.
And as we were wrapping this one up and getting it ready to be published just now, we received an update from today's preliminary hearing. Wisdom entered a plea of not guilty, and the case is now set to continue with its next court date being on September 22nd of this year. We truly hope justice is served for this little girl. No child should ever have to endure something so horrific, and we hope those responsible are held fully accountable for the pain they've caused.
And while we're on this topic, we want to take a moment to talk about something that's much bigger than just this one case. We might end up getting shadowbanned for talking about it, but it's a conversation that needs to happen.
According to the CDC, in the United States alone, at least 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 20 boys will experience child s*xual abuse before they turn 18 years old. And it gets even more heartbreaking. Approximately 90% of children who experience this type of abuse know the person who abused them.
It isn't always a random stranger lurking in the shadows. More often than not, it's someone the child knows and trusts, or someone their family knows. That's what makes these cases even more devastating, because the very people children should be able to feel safe around are sometimes the ones who betray that trust.
According to RAINN, in the United States, on average, every 9 minutes, Child Protective Services confirms that a child has experienced this type of abuse.
Y'all... every 9 minutes.
That's another child whose innocence was stolen. Another child whose trust was shattered. Another child whose life may never be the same again. And as heartbreaking as that statistic is, experts believe the true number is likely even higher because so many children never tell anyone what happened to them.
And just to put that into perspective, by the time you reach the end of this post, another child somewhere in our nation may have become a victim of this unimaginable abuse.
If there's one thing we hope you take away from all of this, it's this: listen to our children.
Our children, our youth, they deserve better. They deserve to feel safe, to be protected, and to know that if they find the courage to speak up, someone will listen. And not only listen, but take action.
So keep having these conversations. Keep educating your children. Keep believing the survivors. And if a child comes to you and tells you something doesn't feel right, don't ever ignore it. Listen. Because one conversation could change a child's life forever.
Our kids, our youth, are counting on all of us to protect them, and let’s not fail them.
Source: Official Court Affidavits, CDC, and RAINN
