Nail polish was a must for this girly-girl. She painted one of his as they chatted about her life and her troubles, and he painted one of hers.

He found out that she had been the victim of sexual abuse…

“As she painted one of my nails, I assured her I would always keep it that way to remember her, and by extension, her suffering.”

After this touching exchange, Elliot had renewed motivation to effect positive change among men so that children would be safer from sexual abuse.

That’s when he had the idea for the Polished Man project, in which men are challenged to spend a week painting one fingernail in order to become a #PolishedMan.

That one nail on a hand full of five symbolizes the one in five children who will be victims of sexual violence.

Polished Man, an organization working to end sexual violence against children, claims that “being a Polished Man means challenging violent behavior and language, both locally and globally.”

Since men are responsible for 96% of this type of violence against children globally, Elliot concluded that men must be the catalyst for change if we are ever to see an end to the abuse of innocent children.