Survivors and faith leaders want the "Innocent Child" documentary and devotional project to help adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse find healing.
Steve Siler, producer of the film and founder of the non-profit ministry Music for the Soul, recently told American Family Radio the staggering statistics mean almost everyone is connected to this reality—whether they realize it or not.
"There is no one out there … that doesn't know a survivor," he said. "If you are walking around, talking to other people, you're surrounded by this every single day."
In the United States, Child Protective Services agencies identify or substantiate roughly 63,000 child victims of sexual abuse each year. However, overall reports and total national estimates are much higher, with experts noting that massive under-reporting means the true numbers are significantly greater.
In addition to checking for physical safety, injuries or infections, the most common treatment for child victims of sexual abuse is Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), psychological treatment designed to reduce negative emotional and behavioral responses such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety and depression.
But the "Innocent Child" project combines personal testimonies, professional insights, and music, which experts say can access emotional trauma in ways plain speech sometimes cannot.
Childhood abuse changes how the brain and body handle stress. It often leads to adult mental health struggles like depression and anxiety, trouble trusting others, and physical health issues such as chronic pain or sleep problems.
For author and survivor Becky Nordquist, who contributed a companion devotional to the film, breaking decades of silence was the critical first step toward emotional and spiritual recovery.
"The healing begins when we speak our story into words," she says. "God became more than the God of the Bible, of Abraham and Jacob and Isaac. He became the God of Becky. He met me in that moment, and it was there that I really found the truest courage."
Advocates hope the documentary encourages faith communities and individuals to create safer, more compassionate spaces for survivors to come forward and share their stories.
"If somebody's courageous enough to tell their story, we need to be courageous enough to listen to it and then respond in love," Siler stated.
The documentary was created with great care in collaboration with professional therapists and courageous women who have walked their own journeys of healing from child sexual abuse.
It can be streamed for free, and resources tailored for individuals and church hostings are also available.
