Ontario’s minister of children and youth services introduces Polished Man Campaign.

Michael Coteau, Ontario’s minister of children and youth services, in his efforts to raise awareness about child abuse as part of International campaign, has initiated Polished man Campaign.

He urged others — in person and via Twitter — to paint one fingernail on one hand, representing how one in five children are victims of physical or sexual violence by the age of 18.

Michael launched his efforts last Saturday,Nov 19, the international day for the prevention of child abuse, for a week and got much support.

The Polished Man campaign was inspired by an Australian who travelled to Cambodia where he visited an orphanage and met up with a young girl who had been abused. She painted all of his fingernails, and the gesture stuck with him.

Michael Coteau is hoping his efforts this year “plant a seed . . . then we’ll think about what to do next year, and hopefully encourage more people to do it. It’s a great initiative and it gets people talking — it gets people from an uncomfortable zone to a comfortable zone talking about an issue.