Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN) - 2635

Tonight's special guest is Tona Buck from Trenton, New Jersey, whose father was never in her life. "I started being sexually abused at the age of 3 by my mom's then-boyfriend I called him dad," she says. "I was young so being abused was normal, this was the way my abuser showed me how he loved me, as he would abuse me, he would tell me how I was a good girl and how much he loved me. I was abused until I was 7 years old. Eventually, I was able to get away from my abuser when he moved out." Tona recognized at a young age that she loved helping people. She began assisting the Trenton community by taking on many endeavors. The theme of community empowerment is echoed throughout all of Tona's  work. "I started an organization called R.O.S.A (Rising Over Sexual Abuse)," she says, "[where] the mission is to empower children, break the silence against sexual abuse and be the voice for the voiceless." She recently finished composing the documentary, 'Why We Didn't Tell,' a narrative about African American sexual assault survivors. Tona explains, "This year will be our 4th sexual assault month walk." Tona wants the audience to know that not just survivors, but the unaffected community as well, have the ability to choose to be powerless or powerful when it comes to protecting children. "Talking about it is the biggest part of my recovery," she says, "by sharing my stories with others, as I let others know that my pain." Tona concludes her work, ".. has turned into my passion and my purpose. Society must be educated on how to protect children by being watchful and involved."