Child abuse posters launched by DCFS, after being inspired by Yorkville woman’s advocacy

After helping inspire the Child Abuse Notice Act, Colleen Murphy, of Yorkville, has been consulting for months with the Illinois Dep. Of Children Services, designing children-appropriate posters for placement in businesses and places frequented by kids.

She said normalizing the conversation about child sexual abuse, encourages more survivors to come forward and seek help.

After the long wait, the official posters were released to the public on June 26. Murphy, founder of the child abuse advocacy non-profit, “My Body Tells the Truth” (MBTTT)), was instrumental in helping the bill pass both state congressional chambers, before being enacted as state law on Jan. 1.

The law requires establishments frequented by minors, such as day care centers, elementary and secondary schools, bus stations, hospital emergency rooms, entertainment and sporting facilities, hotels and motels to display in their bathrooms multilingual educational posters.

The posters must be understandable for minors of all ages and provide information on what constitutes physical and sexual abuse and how to report it.

“I would love if community members strongly encourage any businesses owners to bring this to their attention,” Murphy said. “Because the law is so new, we need to help business owners know how to get the posters in their businesses as soon as possible.”

The posters are available to upload on the Illinois DCFS website by searching “Child Abuse Notice Act” and uploading the “child-no-go-zones” pdf. You can also obtain one through the MBTTT website by making a donation to their child abuse advocacy services.

Murphy said as owner of Shear Salon in Yorkville, she was inspired into action by hearing accounts of how prevalent abuse is from customers. She said her advocacy work is geared towards ending the stigma preventing victims from coming forward.

“There are so many children suffering in silence and many may not even recognize they are a victim,” Murphy said. “Many of these kids grow up with an abuser in their homes. They are told this is how normal families are, when this couldn’t be further from the truth. The average person waits 20 to 30 years, if ever, to disclose child sexual abuse. Our goal is to speed up coming forward. Every child has a right to speak out and be heard and believed.”

The posters detail different forms of abuse, from physical, emotional and sexual, and how to come forward to seek help. The posters come with the guidelines, “no sharing,” “no secrets,” “no pictures,” “no touching,” and “no blaming yourself if someone tries.”

Murphy said it’s been a long journey since first stepping foot in her local representative, Jed Davis’, office with a bold idea and a passion to get the bill across the finish line.

“What makes me most proud is this has nothing to do with political opinions, it unites everyone in a crucial message that children deserve to see,” Murphy said. “Illinois can be the beginning of a new truth and normal that children can rely on. Not only does this help survivors, but it can aid in prevention by helping children identify and recognize abuse before it even occurs.”

Murphy is encouraging survivors to help combat the stigma by posting on social media their stories with the hashtag #MeThree and #MBTTT.

She previously said all the credit for the movement belongs to the survivors of abuse and the bravery they demonstrate coming forward.

“I am just the vision behind the voices, the survivors deserve all the recognition,” Murphy said. “As you can imagine, the attention for some survivors can be terrifying and it’s been an honor to fight alongside them.”

You can learn more about Murphy’s organization, “My Body Tells the Truth,” by visiting mbttt.org and by following @mybodytellsthetruth on instagram and on Facebook.