Interviewed by ABC WTVN 9 in Columbus, Georgia, Angela discusses April Child Abuse Awareness Month and her organization of breaking the silence of child sexual abuse through awareness, prevention, healing programs and resources.

Video Transcript:

Reporter: It is now 6:46. We are just days away from the beginning of April, which is also National Child Abuse Awareness Month. This morning, we're joined by Angela Williams, the founder of Voice Today, to talk about Child Abuse Awareness Month, actually a child abuse survivor yourself.

Angela Williams: I am. And I'm excited to be here to let your viewers know that we are dealing with not only an epidemic, but a pandemic. Approximately, one in five children will be sexually abused before they're eighteen years old, and only one in ten will ever tell. So, Voice Today is working to educate and to help our community become vigilant about protecting children to not only understand the issue but take action and do something about the issue.

So, we've got a lot of events planned for April. They can go to our website at voicetoday.org, but most importantly, we've just passed a bill called the Hidden Predator Act, which extends the civil statute of limitations. So, for any of your viewers that are victims of child sexual abuse, currently, under the new law, there's a two year retroactive window. So now, until July of 2017, they can file a civil action against their perpetrators.

Reporter: But they wouldn't have been able to do that without this legislation.

Angela Williams: No, we fought really hard. We fought two years for this legislation, and we are so excited. We just opened the first free legal clinic in the nation for victims of child sexual abuse. And that's a partnership with the University of Georgia.

Reporter: I'm guessing that you would have loved for something to be like this when you were a child.

Angela Williams: I was. I was victimized for 14 years, from age three to seventeen, and I never had a voice. So, I fight every day for children to be protected and for victims to be able to reclaim their power to get their voice and to be able to speak out. Because we know the pain as victims, and we have to band together. I say I represent a silent nation that is terrified to speak. So, once we can speak up and speak out, we can help protect the next generation of children.

Reporter: Voicetoday.org.

Angela Williams: Voicetoday.org. Visit our website. They can email me angela@voicetoday.org. And together, we can protect our children.

Reporter: Angela Williams. Thank you much.

Angela Williams: Thank you, Chuck.

Reporter: All right, check the weather now, here's Greg.