Dear friends and colleagues,

When you become a parent, your world changes forever. You are a parent for the rest of your life. Your approach to life changes. Yourself is not an important word anymore. Your kids come first, you come last.

Whether you are a parent or not you will understand why I feel the urgency to act.

Not all children have the same opportunities. Not all children can grow in a serene environment, play like others do, dream like others do. Some of them face the brutality of being abused within the walls that are supposed to protect them.

When I met the volunteers of Chiara e Francesco, an association very close to where I live, I realized how important and how difficult is the job they do. I was impressed by the caring, the determination, the quality of education and their efforts to make the society better by raising awareness, starting from the schools.

Giving a smile and donating a "normal" life and opportunities to abused children is something that as a parent, hit me straight in the center of my heart.

I need your help

An association like Chiara e Francesco fills the gap left by the government, the school system, the families and the society in general. They shouldn't be taxed for what they do. It makes everything even more complicated. It prevents them from providing more services to more children. Regulations and bureaucracy can get in the way, as we sadly know, but they cannot stop good people. They cannot stop good will. They cannot stop generosity.

I am asking for a contribution to this initiative. I know each of them individually and they need our help. Please help us get to the target to protect more children from abuse.

Sincerely,

Silvio.

Who is Chiara e Francesco

“Chiara e Francesco” is an association founded in 2003 to protect children and young people from mistreatment and sexual abuse. Their goal has always been to help create a caring society, capable of listening to the smallest and most fragile, protecting them from any form of negligence, exploitation and

violence.

“Chiara and Francesco” was born from fractured ribs and the suspected abuse of a small creature or from her mother's cry for help. Over the years, 101 girls and boys have found a home in its reception facilities; they dedicate their daily support service to them until they leave.

Those who are defenseless need to be listened to, protected, cared for, accompanied and given concrete prospects; they need an opportunity to grow, look from an unusual point of view, learn diversity, understand the essence of human dignity.

Chiara e Francesco is constantly engaged in activities to prevent abuse and mistreatment. In recent years, its action in support of schools, families, thematic events and international awareness days has not experienced any interruption.

Ample space is also dedicated to the analysis of child pornography on the Internet and emerging forms of abuse such as telematic ones (for example, cyberbullying or grooming). Some examples of its dissemination commitment include the National Day against Pedophilia (5 May), the World Children's Rights Day (20 November), the World Day for the Prevention of Child Abuse (19 November) and the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (25 November).

In parallel with the reception service, Chiara e Francesco has also produced a concrete result in the judicial field, through reports or by accompanying other people to report. This has led to the opening of fifteen criminal proceedings, which have generated the following effects:

- Final sentences for sexual abuse: no. 12, with 22 convictions;

- Final sentences for possession of child pornography: no. 1;

- First degree sentences for sexual abuse: no. 5;

- Final sentences for sexual abuse and mistreatment: no. 1;

- Accompanying the complaint with the opening of an investigation for sexual abuse and induction into child prostitution: no. 9;

- Accompanying the complaint for solicitation on social media and related conviction: no. 3.