“So now I speak. Bravely, bluntly, honestly. However you want to look at it, I speak. I’m a sexual abuse survivor and I did exactly that – I survived. Even now as I write this, I’m aware that future employers and my father’s family can see my words but I refuse to bow down to fear and shame again. I speak because I know the shame and fear that victims feel. I speak because although I understand how uncomfortable my friends and family are with the knowledge of my abuse, I feel that acknowledging how common sexual abuse is matters far more than our comfort. I think it’s vital that we break the taboo of speaking out about sexual abuse, that we stop joking about it to appease our own discomfort, and listen instead.
I speak because what happened to me matters. Victims having the space and an invitation to speak matters. I speak because I refuse to continue to feel ashamed. Because it’s important that sufferers see others speaking out. I speak because 85% of people who have suffered the trauma that I have feel they can’t speak up themselves. I speak because, fortunately, I feel I can.”
Well done Sarah.