The tragic and important reason men are sharing photos of their painted fingernails

In an effort to raise awareness of child abuse, men are sharing photographs of their painted fingernails with the hashtag #PolishedMan. By each painting one nail and spreading the hashtag, these men are representing the one in every five children who will suffer physical and sexual abuse before the age of 18.

The campaign started after CEO of Australian-based nonprofit Ygap Elliot Costello met a young girl, Thea, while on a trip to a Hagar International charity project in Cambodia. Elliot and Thea spent the day playing games together. At the end of the day, Elliot let Thea paint his nails.

It wasn't until the next day when Elliot discovered that Thea had been raped every day while living in an orphanage. In order to raise awareness for children like Thea, Elliot is now asking men around the world to paint a single fingernail.

A representative for the campaign told Buzzfeed News that in addition to raising awareness, those working on the campaign hope to raise funds for children with a history of abuse. In addition, they hope that the campaign will encourage positive male role models. The representative said:

%shareLinks-quote="By challenging men, we empower them as leaders and encourage them to become a part of the solution. Our hope is to create a global movement that will lead change in the conversation about what it means to be a man." type="quote" author="#PolishedMan representative" authordesc="" isquoteoftheday=%

It takes both men and women to affect change and progress with regard to crucial issues like child abuse.

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