Taking Action Isn’t Easy, But I Can Do It!
Living alone with the secret of sexual abuse, yours or someone you know, is awful. Keeping this secret can destroy you. Sexual abuse thrives with secrets and lies.
Too often sexual abuse is allowed to go on and on, getting worse because it is a “secret.” There are a lot of reasons that make it hard to speak out. Here are some of the more common.
- They are afraid that their abuser will harm them again – “I’m scared. He (offender) said he would hurt me if I told.”
- They do not want to make a very private matter public – “It is nobody else’s business.”
- They are worried that they will be blamed for what happened – “He told me it’s my fault. I feel so guilty.”
- They think no one will believe them – “It’s my word against his. They’ll never believe me.”
- They believe telling someone will make it worse – “He will go to jail. Telling will destroy my family.”
No matter the reason for the secret—it will be better if you speak out. We promise.
Taking action, speaking out, telling someone, can be the hardest thing you will ever do. But, it will also be the best thing.
There are people in your life who love you, no matter what. Talk to them and they will help you. There are also people you can trust—school teachers, police, counselors. The important thing is to tell someone.
Until the silence is broken, healing cannot begin.
If you think someone is being sexual abused, be a true friend. Don’t help them keep a damaging secret. Help them speak out.
At Voices for Virtue we know how hard it can be. To get started, call or text a completely private and confidential hot line. You can get the information here.
