If you see a man with one painted fingernail, here’s what it means

Elliot Costello’s life was drastically altered in a way he never would have imagined in 2013 after traveling to an orphanage in Cambodia.

He was unaware, though, that a meeting would occur that would alter thousands of other people’s lives as well.

It all began in 2013 when Australian social entrepreneur Elliot Costello got to know a young child named Thea.

The 10-year-old girl, Thea, had been saved from a horrible situation, but regrettably, she had wound up in an orphanage. She had been sexually and physically abused for two years, and the torture had a lasting effect. Regretfully, if Elliot hadn’t existed, we might never have learned about this courageous young girl.

However, let’s start at the beginning.

Thea’s life was happy once she was born. The Cambodian girl was loved and cared for by her mother, father, and other family members just like any other child. Unfortunately, fate had other ideas for her. Her father unexpectedly passed away one day, and his loss was tragic in many ways. Not only had it been a painful and emotional experience, but Thea’s father had been the only provider for the family. The family was left in dire straits after his death.

When things became so awful for Thea, her mother had to make the painful choice to place her daughter in an orphanage since she was no longer able to care for her. Sadly, the little girl would end up spending a miserable life there.

The director of the orphanage allegedly sexually and physically abused Thea every day for two years, according to Polished Man.

Thea was eventually moved to another Hagar International-run orphanage in Phnom Penh. Australian social entrepreneur Elliot Costello became close to the boy during a visit there by playing games of naughts and crosses. The 10-year-old child, in spite of everything she had experienced, exuded happiness and optimism.

Thea used to constantly have nail polish on her tiny nails, so one day she wanted to paint Elliot’s. They had a great time together as they sat and chatted.

“I promised her that I would always remember her and her suffering,” Elliot remarked as she painted one of his nails

Elliot was inspired to try and modify men’s behavior after meeting with Thea in order to reduce the number of children who experience sexual abuse. In order to demonstrate support, he also came up with the idea to launch a trend where males paint their nails.

Another symbolic interpretation of painting one nail is that it stands for the one in five children who may experience sexual abuse. It is immediately clear from looking at the numbers that we must put in a lot of effort to solve this problem.

Nearly 70% of all reported sexual assaults involve minors who are 17 years of age or younger, according to the YMCA. Unbelievably, one in six boys and one in four girls will experience sexual abuse before they become 18 years old.

Elliot believes that since men account for over 90% of this kind of abuse against children, they should be the ones to drive change. In light of this, a large number of international superstars have joined the nail painting craze.

Polished Man is still working to provide a better, safer environment for children today. Their principal goal is to stop child sexual abuse. “Being a Polished Man means challenging violent behavior and language, both locally and globally,” the organization states.

Chris Hemsworth is one well-known person who has taken a strong stance; he posed for the organization with a painted nail.

It takes more than just remembering to purchase flowers, shouting rounds, or lifting a lot to be a @PolishedMan. Saying no to violence against children is the main goal, according to Hemsworth.

Famous surfers Kelly Slater and Zac Efron also participated in the social media challenge, and maybe more people will openly speak out against child abuse.

Although the campaign began quietly a few years prior, by 2014 it had drawn the interest of numerous prominent media outlets.

The organization has persevered in its hard work and has now existed for a decade. Polished Man claims that $8.7 million has been raised to fund trauma prevention and recovery initiatives for women and children who have experienced or are at danger of experiencing violence in Australia and other countries.