BREAKING CODE SILENCE

Description

The vision of Breaking Code Silence is to create a future without institutional child abuse by engaging, uniting, and empowering adult survivors to become effective advocates for change. We do this through four pillars:

• Advocacy - Support survivors in honoring and affirming their testimonies, assisting with legal reporting, providing connection, and helping survivors at all stages of their journeys.

• Awareness - Educate the public about the deep roots of abuse, neglect, and coercion throughout the Troubled Teen Industry and the congregate care system. We work to prevent future placements and encourage evidence-based community treatments that strengthen and empower youth and their families.

• Legislation - Educate and partner with local, state, and federal government leaders to aid in the crafting and passage of laws that protect youth in congregate care, close loopholes of accountability, and include the testimony of survivors as central in this process. We see effective regulation as a key element in both ending and preventing institutional child abuse.

• Research - Initiate, lead, and support research into the activities, proliferation, and long-term effects of Troubled Teen Industry facilities and youth congregate care. With large-scale data collection and global research collaboration, we highlight the irrefutable harm of existing practices and provide assistance with both academic and legal investigations.