While traveling through Cambodia with a group, Elliot Costello meets a little girl named Thea.
The meeting had such a strong impact on Elliott that he was inspired to launch a movement to end child sexual abuse.
Thea usually paints her nails every day. At one point, she asked Elliot to paint one of his nails while they were talking. He agrees and is excited to communicate with Thea, but later he discovers that she has been sexually assaulted.
“As she painted one of my nails, I assured her I would always keep it that way to remember her, and by extension, her suffering,” Elliott said.
Elliot's personal experience of suffering from sexual assault led him to change men's attitudes and work towards reducing child sexual abuse.
Since then, he started the #PolishedMan movement, in which men wear nail polish. Each fingernail represents one in five children who will be sexually abused.
Polished Man’s goal is to end sexual violence against children. "Being a man of grace means challenging violent behavior and language locally and globally," the organization said.
Elliott said that because 96 percent of violence against children globally is caused by men, men must be the driving force for improvement if we are to end child abuse and protect children. I have escaped this danger.
The act of wearing nail polish is more than just a symbolic reminder, it is intended to spark discussion about child abuse and inspire new prevention strategies. Elliott also encouraged people to donate and "support educational programs and resources for survivors of child abuse," APlus reported.
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