26/08/2026
There are children who go home and start listening for footsteps.
Children who know the sound of a door opening and immediately become quiet.
Children who learn how to hide bruises. How to lie when someone asks, “What happened?” How to smile when they really want to cry.
And the hardest part is… sometimes nobody knows.
We talk about childhood like it’s supposed to be this soft, beautiful thing. Games. School. Friends. Laughter. Feeling safe enough to sleep without fear.
But for some children, childhood is surviving the people who were supposed to protect them.
Child abuse is not “discipline.”
It is not “a family matter.”
It is not something a child should have to endure because “they’ll understand when they’re older.”
They shouldn’t have to understand it.
They should have been protected from it.
And if a child finally finds the courage to speak, please don’t make them regret it. Don’t blame them. Don’t ask why they didn’t speak sooner. Don’t tell them to keep quiet because of the family name, reputation, shame, money, or what people will say.
Believe them. Listen. Protect them.
Because a child should never have to become an adult just to survive their childhood.
Some wounds don’t show on the skin.
And some children are carrying them quietly every single day.
