On this final day of Sexual Assault Awareness and Child Abuse Prevention Month I want to express my gratitude for the radio programs that have had me on throughout the month, giving a VOICE to survivors of abuse and spreading awareness. Even though April is ending it doesn’t mean the prevention and awareness subside.
We keep going. We keep talking. And YOU keep listening. 🙂
May leads into Teen Self-Esteem month and I look forward to sharing with you the many ‘awareness’ campaigns and events planned.
Friday at 9:45am CST I will be on CHOOSE NOW Radio with Nicole O’Dell. Be sure to listen in as it is LIVE. We will touch upon teen issues and self-esteem. www.toginet.com
Today I received an email from a gentleman who has been corresponding with me giving me snippets of his story of survival. Today he gave me a little bit more, promising one day to share the entire story. A little bit at a time is what he gives but I embrace and applaud his courage.
I want to share with the rest of you something I wrote at the beginning of the month. I pray it continues to bring about the much needed awareness and offer hope to survivors to thrive.
1 in 6 men have experienced sexual abuse before they were 18. 1 in 4 girls will have experienced sexual abuse by the time they are 14 and statistics show that 93% of children and juveniles sexually abused know their perpetrator. 1 in every 4 women between the ages of 14-21 will have been sexually assaulted.
These are the statistics based on the victims that spoke out and told of the abuse. Consider the victims who have not given voice to the abuse or assault they’ve lived through. Sexual abuse is an ugly truth that is hard to accept. Often when a victim tries to tell and speak out about what is being done to them or what has been done it is ignored or dismissed because the facts are messy. Psychologically we can’t fathom a member of our family or friend, someone we love and trust could commit such a heinous act, nor can we allow our minds to imagine it happening to a child.
The fact is this is our truth. We are the statistic and we have a story that needs to be told. Survivors of sexual abuse and assault are often either scared into keeping quiet and obliging the abuse or are so young they know no other experience and feel this is what is normal. Many sexual abuse victims are told they have been bad and this is a form of punishment or the opposite that they are the favorite and are groomed to feel obliged to go along with the abuse to make the perpetrator happy. The scenarios are endless but the results are the same. The victim no longer has a voice and this carries on into their adult life. Deep seeded feelings of insecurity, lack of self-esteem, unworthiness and lack of self-respect are the result. Often if a child is sexually abused at a very young age then their awareness of their sexuality has been aroused which bring feelings, responses and emotions that a young child is not yet ready to control or understand. This leads to acting out sexually in the tween and teen years and can lead to drug and alcohol abuse at an early age. Experiencing intimacy and natural, normal boundaries in relationships is often affected by the abuse which can heighten the sense of unworthy, low self-esteem and lack of self-respect which often leads to depression and in some, suicide.
One way this can be prevented is to let a survivor know they have a voice that needs to be heard. Survivors need to tell their story, release what has been done to them and receive the support from loved ones and the counseling that will help them expose the shame, fear and guilt and learn to live normal, healthy lives. The more a survivor can talk the more they will heal. Specific details do not need to be shared, often that brings a sense of revictimization. Simply acknowledging that this is their truth and they survived and are given the freedom to experience the grief process is key.
*Statistics taken from Turning Point Services and R.A.I.N.N. [/box]
Do you know what I love the most about what has transpired this month? It is no ‘coincidence’ that in this month of Awareness and Giving a Voice to Survivors that I was given the opportunity to travel to New Mexico and find my voice. No, that is a GOD-incidence. His timing is always perfect and that is a fact we all need to remember when we find ourselves down and out because life isn’t going ‘our way’.
Blessings
Shannon