Lost Treasure

Lines blurred Lines crossed Lives ruined Innocence lost

Children groomed  in the name of art Shaped by a culture  Future objects, and objectifiers  “Me too!” we shout  Protest in the air  But sadly, not on behalf of our little ones 

Lines blurred Lines crossed Lives ruined Innocence lost

High tech High demand  Instant access One click gratification Smartphone in hand There’s a price to be paid Free love isn’t free at all 
Not for our little ones

Lines blurred Lines crossed Lives ruined Innocence lost

Dear children, You are precious Beautiful and beloved Created for wondrous things Worth beyond measure Who will stand for our little ones, Or will they become society’s lost treasure?

Lines blurred Lines crossed Lives ruined Innocence lost

*****

These words are written with a heavy heart. Grieving for our children. Those who have been robbed of their innocence by the very individuals, the communities, who should be their protectors. For the children who struggle to navigate the land mines of our day, causing lives to implode with ruin in the wake. Grieving for our culture. Freedom of expression, technology, progress, and wealth all seem to supersede the protection over the hearts, minds, and bodies of our most vulnerable, our children. The statistics are sobering.

• 1 in 10 will be sexually abused before they turn 18. Exact numbers are hard to pin down due to the silencing of victims.

• The average age for a child to obtain their first smartphone is 10.3 years.

• The average age of first-time exposure to pornography is around 11 years.

• Pornhub, with 115 million daily users, is alleged to enable and profit from videos of actual rape, sex trafficking, and abuse of children and adults.

• The statistics continue and are staggering.

  How do we change the course of this sad, tragic trajectory?

  How do we do better?