WAUKESHA, Wis. — It was an emotional start to the day for Waukesha teen Hailey Awadallah Sunday, as the young girl kicked off her second run/walk for sexual assault awareness.
“I’m really happy with the turnout,” Awadallah said through tears. “It just means that this many people care about me and the cause.”
Roughly 150 of Awadallah’s peers and community members attended the event at Waukesha North High School to support the teen, doubling last year’s turnout.
“I feel like you don’t have to be an adult to start,” the high school senior said. ‘You can start at any age, and I just keep learning stuff every year I do this.”
After her own experience as a victim of sexual assault, with Sunday's event, Awadallah hoped to help support and spread awareness for kids and other teens like her.
She told TMJ4’s Tahleel Mohieldin that, because of the stigma, young people are often uneducated about the issue.
"It happened to me when I was in elementary school, and I didn’t know what sexual assault was” she shared. “Had I known maybe I would have told my parents sooner.”
Her mother Breanne Breu, though still heartbroken over her daughter’s pain, reached out to TMJ4 News to help support Awadallah’s mission.
“It's important to give her, her own voice, and support at her own level,” Breu said. “It really needed to be on her time, her healing, the way that she wanted to cope.”
Breu said she’s amazed at her daughter’s passion and desire to help others, doing her part to help Awadallah find her way.
Mohieldin asked Breu what advice she would give to parents going through a similar struggle.
“I would say always listen to your kids never doubt what they’re saying,” she responded. “Start talking to them, open that communication, and just let them have their feelings.”
“Sometimes that also means pushing them to speak to somebody to get outside help besides just yourself,” she added.
It was Breu who made the call to the police, almost immediately, after her daughter shared, she was abused by a family member.
At the event, dozens helped Awadallah not only raise awareness but also money for the area's women's shelter.
Check out: 'It's never your fault': Waukesha teen raising sexual assault awareness among peers
Awadallah said she’s thankful for her community's support. She hopes to continue the event for years to come.
“It's kind of just a good reminder that no one's ever alone,” she said, “and it's never your fault."
According to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) of sexual abuse cases involving juvenile victims reported to law enforcement, 34% were abused by family members.
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