Red Leaves Falling premiere

Stairway Foundation recently launched Red Leaves Falling, an animated film about children being sexually trafficked both online and not. It features the story of Ruby, 12, and Dawn, 8, who were unknowingly sold by their mother to a brothel to pay for their youngest brother’s hospital bills. Though not based on a true story, it nevertheless happens in real life, and is more common than one thinks.

What is alarming is that some people do not think that cyber pornography is abuse in itself. There is no physical contact, they argue. They have not taken into consideration the mental and emotional anguish a child can suffer if she is made to perform sexual acts which she neither understands nor is ready for. The animation hopes to raise the public’s awareness about the issue and hopefully lobby for the immediate passage of the Anti-Child Pornography Bill of 2008.

Stairway has two other animated films—Daughter, about a daughter being sexually abused by her father, and A Good Boy, the story of Jason who was sexually exploited by a pedophile. All three films are used by Stairway in its advocacy activities to address the issue of child sexual abuse. More information about the organization and its program and activities is found here.

Suicidal behaviors were not seen in all of the films, though it has been suggested in A Good Boy. However, suicidal acts are identified in the literature as common among child abuse victims, particularly those who have suffered from incest. Sexual abuse is the most terrible thing that can happen to a child. Our most basic assumption—that we can trust the adults around us, is shattered. If we could not trust our parents or family members, then who could we trust? If the people we love could do such terrible things to us, then how much more pain could other people inflict?

In the film A Good Boy, Jason managed to pull out of his suicidal trance through the help of a street educator who taught him how to deal with his feelings, how to reach out to other children, and how to become an advocate. Daughter was helped when somebody finally believed her story. And Ruby and Dawn were saved when a concerned citizen reported the crime to the authorities and they were reunited with their family.

Happy endings are nice. Unfortunately, in the real world, happy endings rarely happen. For a number of victims of child sexual abuse, the struggle for survival continues. Giving them hope is the least we can do.