Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN) - 3158

Tonight's special guest is Maria Trusa from White Plains, New York. It took Maria 47 years to break her silence and speak out about the abuse she endured at just nine years old. Her life story is a tremendous example of inner strength. Maria was able to undo the trauma of her past and become a successful business woman, community leader, and activist who constantly fights to eradicate the scourge of sexual abuse that plagues her community. Her book, 'I Say No More', is her personal journey of growth, and self-improvement. In 2020, Maria founded a nonprofit organization by the same name, 'Yo Digo No Más' ('I Say No More'). It focuses on raising awareness of the prevalence of sexual violence in Latino communities, especially among children, while helping sexual violence survivors break the cycle of abuse. They provide mental health and trauma-informed services for survivors and their families. The work, Maria explains, ".. chronicles my early years growing up in the Dominican Republic, where I experienced traumatic sexual assault at the age of nine by a family friend of my father. This experience nearly cost me my life. Once I moved to the United States, I struggled to find organizations that would provide culturally appropriate services to begin addressing and healing from this abuse." She goes on, "I travel the globe providing presentations, workshops." She focuses on raising awareness and ending the silent epidemic of sexual violence happening in Latino communities and implements trauma-informed systems in workplaces. Maria speaks on the topics of resiliency, mindfulness, and self-reflection, inspiring immigrants on ways to make their dreams come true and how to overcome early childhood trauma.