Founded in late 2012 by Matt Pipkin, Speak your Silence is a nonprofit on a mission to conquer the stigma of child sexual abuse. Matt started Speak Your Silence because it’s a subject he is unfortunately familiar with. He was sexually abused by a family friend at age 6 and kept it secret for twenty years due to fear, shame, and guilt. Mattโs life was finally changed once he found his voice, his value, and support from his family and friends.
By wearing โThe Stitchโ, our voices join together to create a melody of hope and healing for current and future generations. It’s something nobody wants to think or talk about, but we should!
Speak Your Silence unveiled its first product, The Stitch, designed to help move the issue of child sexual abuse from a taboo topic to a cause people love and support.
The Stitch kit provides supporters with an orange thread and needle to sew a zigzag thread pattern that symbolizes voice frequencies. People can sew The Stitch onto their favorite articles of clothing or accessories, becoming a public champion for the cause. The emblem invites and inspires people to initiate uplifting dialogue around the issue of child sexual abuse.
“I know from personal experience that child sexual abuse is a heavy topic,” said Speak Your Silence founder, Matt Pipkin. “I kept my story a secret for nearly twenty years. But the reality is: one in four girls and one in six boys are sexually abused prior to the age of 18. Most of them will never tell a soul, and I understand why. The Stitch kit changes this by making it possible to support the cause and even get excited about itโwhether youโve been directly affected by it or not!”
As part of the product launch, people are encouraged to share a photo of themselves wearing The Stitch in real-life, or with online communities using #TheStitch hashtag.
The Stitch kit is available on www.speakyoursilence.org. One hundred percent of profits from The Stitch kit go toward providing free counseling for anyone personally affected by the issue.