About the Initiative

The 2019 HBO documentary Leaving Neverland featured survivors James Safechuck and Wade Robson sharing their story of childhood sexual abuse, and how it affected their lives and still affects their lives. Their truth left me completely and utterly heartbroken, and it set off something inside of me.

I went down a path to learn more and what I found continued to devastate me—every 9 minutes a child is sexually abused in the United States. One in four girls. One in six boys. Nearly 70% of all reported sexual assaults occur to children 17 and under. Over 25 million sexual abuse images and videos  are reviewed by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children annually.

With this knowledge, I knew I had to do something.

I created Designed Out Of Love, an initiative to raise awareness and support organizations fighting to stop the abuse of children. It's become a platform to share the information I learn because I believe it starts with us—parents, friends, relatives, teachers, and caregivers of children. The more we're aware, the more we learn, the more we talk about it, and the more we open our eyes to what’s happening around us and to those closest to us, the more we'll be able to protect kids.

I know this may not be something many of us feel comfortable digging into or talking about. Worst of all, I know for many it hits close to home. But I hope to be a source of encouragement to do what we can. Some of the most important actions we can take now are to have age-appropriate conversations with our kids, ask their school(s) about their sexual health program and how they incorporate Erin's Law, and to be a trusted adult for children. Empowering kids and giving them a support system are some of the strongest and most effective ways we can protect them.

Thank you for taking the time to visit and to read about the initiative.

Lauren Okura
Mother, small business owner, volunteer, graphic designer, and creator of Designed Out Of Love