PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Shariea Shoatz is proud of her voice, and she’s not afraid to use it.
She created the Buddy Speaks Foundation, a nonprofit focused on raising awareness about child sex abuse. Shoatz, a school teacher, leads workshops for educators, parents, children and caregivers on how to identify abuse and how to prevent it.
“We are working to change the stigma, prevent the silence and stop this from happening,” she said.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in four girls and one in 13 boys experience sexual abuse at some point in their childhood.
“Ninety percent of children abused are being abused by someone they know,” Shoatz added, “whether it’s a parent, coach, babysitter, sibling.
“I saw that this was happening in our communities, and I wanted to do something about it.”
Shoatz, who is Muslim, comes from a large family with 100 cousins in her generation. The Overbrook native said they are people of faith and very close-knit, but that didn’t prevent abuse. She suffered sexual abuse at the hands of a family member when she was 8 years old.
“So many children live in silence because the abuse is always a secret,” she explained. “Having gone through sexual assault, I knew I had to be a voice for the children.”
But that decision to use her voice didn’t manifest until her time in Dubai, where she was teaching Muslim children. She discovered a child close to her suffered abuse at the hands of a nanny. So when she returned to Philadelphia, she launched Buddy Speaks, determined to prevent abuse in her hometown.
“In our community, we don’t want to talk about this. People say, ‘This is scary, it’s dark and gloomy.’ But we have to talk about it to start the healing.”
Shoatz penned the book “My Voice Is My Super Power” as a tool parents can use to open the door for conversations with their children about their bodies and how to protect themselves. Shoatz writes through the eyes of an 8-year old superhero kid.
“His name is Buddy, and he’s an icon,” she smiled.
She said it’s important that parents keep an open dialogue with children and have a “no secrets policy.” She uses the book to teach kids how to identify when they feel unsafe and when it’s time to speak up.
“There’s so much manipulation and so much grooming going on,” Shoatz continued. “It usually starts with a little secret, like ‘I’m going to give you this ice cream, but don’t tell your parents.’ ”
Buddy Speaks hosts virtual paint parties for kids, where Shoatz teaches body safety rules. She sends survivors letters, stuffed animals and blankets for comfort. She leads workshops for parents on grooming and other key issues, and trains families how to respond when sexual abuse is identified.
Shoatz said children must be believed.
“When children speak up about their abuse and their parents respond by telling them, ‘I believe you, I am sorry, this was not supposed to happen to you, this is not your fault,’ the children can begin their journey of healing.”
In many ways, Shoatz hopes to be the support she needed as a child. She wants to empower kids and families in communities of color, expanding her reach every year.
Shoatz is changing the game by “breaking the silence to prevent and end childhood sexual assault.”
“To hear a survivor cry and say ‘thank you,’ it empowers me,” she added. “It lights a fire under my feet to do more.”
KYW Newsradio’s GameChangers honors 10 individuals or organizations that have made a significant, positive impact in communities of color in the greater Philadelphia region. KYW community affairs reporter Cherri Gregg will host a virtual evening honoring this year’s awardees on Feb. 24.
For a full list of 2021 honorees, click here.