If you’re confused as to why a man is wearing pretty, purple nail polish, allow me to explain . . .
I am a Polished Man.
This is to say that I have polished one of the fingernails of my right hand a vibrant colour as part of the 2018 campaign, hosted by YGAP (Y-Generation Against Poverty), called Polished Man.
The aim of this campaign is to help manage and prevent violence against children by starting conversations regarding domestic violence and child safety, and also by raising money for trauma recovery and prevention programs.
By signing up, I’ve actually been given the opportunity to raise money for Polished Man, and if you are willing and able, I - and of course, these vulnerable kids - would appreciate it if you would donate money towards this great cause. You can do so at this link:
But, why am I talking about this during my Halloween Countdown? Well firstly, it’s because this campaign goes through October - I coloured my nail on October First, and will maintain it until October Thirty-First. But, secondly, it’s because not only does this tie in with this year’s theme of pain and torture . . . but, I personally find this entire situation horrifying. The reason why this campaign asks people to colour one fingernail, whilst the nail polish was inspired by a young Cambodian girl named Thea, is because according to worldwide statistics, every five minutes one child dies as a direct result of violence against children.
That is over 100,000 violent deaths every year. 100,000 murdered children.
Also, despite the fact that both men and women are encouraged to take part in this campaign and paint their nails, this is called Polished Man for a reason. According to statistics, 88% of sexual violence is perpretated by men. Now, the campaign isn’t about demonizing men or pointing the finger, but rather asking men to lead by example. Not only does a Polished Man raise awareness and perhaps money, but this campaign asks men to lead by example. When you paint your nail as a part of this campaign, you dedicate yourself to being a good man and encouraging others to do the same, and you take a stand against violence against children.
But, that is why this is so disturbing. This campaign exists because children are being beaten, raped and killed, worldwide. This means that this is happening - right now - in your country.
I live in Australia, and I have looked up some of the statistics from the campaign’s website. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, one in six Australian women and one in ten Australian men report having been physically and/or sexually abused as a child. According to the Australian Institute of Family Studies, a new case of child abuse is reported to authorities in Australia every 90 seconds (355,000 reports in 2015-16). According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Indigenous Australian children are seven times more likely to experience abuse or neglect.
These are just the Australian statistics that I have verified, but these issues get worse for children who live in poverty, as they often don’t have the resources to get help. In this country we have child protective services, but in places where people are isolated or rural, they are often cut off from healthcare facilities and protective services . . .
The Polished Man campaign began in September 2013 when Elliot Costello, the co-founder of YGAP, visited Cambodia to get to know some of the people from Hagar International in Cambodia, one of the beneficiaries of their fundraising efforts. They visited a restaurant on the Mekong river to have dinner with twenty-one young kids who they had helped. Elliot sat at the table next to a young ten-year old girl named Thea. She spoke little-to-no English, but she enjoyed playing games and so she played noughts-and-crosses with him for hours. At the end of the night, Thea took a blue texta pen, and drew a blue heart on the palm of Elliot’s left hand, then she turned his hand over and coloured all of his nails in blue. After this dinner, Elliot came to learn that the reason why Thea was in the care of Hagar International was because at the age of eight her father had died and she had been sent to an orphanage as her mother couldn’t care for her. Whilst in this orphanage, she was sexually and physically abused on a near-daily basis for two years at the hands of a Western man who ran this orphanage.
This is a child who was sent into care, and as a result of that was abused for two years, and has been left with mental and physical scars. But, thanks to the help of campaigns like Polished Man, Thea was given the opportunity to have a childhood, and is now fifteen years old.
Thea, and the other twenty kids in that facility, have a better life as a direct result of the help given by YGAP and the monetary support provided by campaigns like Polished Man. But this is just one of their beneficiaries - funds are also directed towards some of the best trauma recovery agencies in the world including the Australian Childhood Foundation, SAMSN, Hagar Australia, and the New York Center for Children, as well as YGAP's own accelerator programs.
So, with that all that in mind, I want to once again ask you to please donate if you can. I won’t see a cent of your money, in fact I’ve donated some of my own money towards this campaign because I think it’s the right thing to do. Because it shouldn’t hurt to be a child. You can help end violence against children, by donating money to this link:
You can help save vulnerable children from this torture, at the hands of cruel men and women. Even if you can’t afford a one-off donation, I would appreciate it if you could help spread the word either by sharing this blog, or links to the Polished Man website at PolishedMan.com. I think that together we can help to end violence against children.
I’m the Absurd Word Nerd, and until next time, I’m going to go put on a fresh coat of nail polish . . .
