April is National Prevent Child Abuse Month, and the Miss Americas spoke at the Bivona Summit on Child Abuse in Rochester, New York, to address this epidemic in our country. One in four girls and one out of six boys are sexually abused before age eighteen, according to research cited by the Bivona Child Advocacy Center in Rochester. In ninety percent of cases, the abuser is someone the child knows and trusts—a parent or stepparent, relative, family friend, coach, day care provider, religious leader, teacher, or club leader.

Marilyn told her story in her 2003 book, Miss America By Day: Lessons Learned from Ultimate Betrayals and Unconditional Love. She’s also featured in Darkness to Light’s Stewards of Children prevention video that Bivona, the YMCA of Greater Rochester, and other partners are aiming to show to twenty-eight thousand adults in Monroe County.

These women are applauded as they work together to make a difference to Stop It Now! 

Source: Miss America Organization