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What might keep me from telling? You might be afraid. The abuser might have threatened to hurt you. Or you might think you won’t be believed or that you’ll be blamed for the abuse. You could be afraid of talking to social workers and police and be afraid of testifying in court because you don’t know what to expect. However, there are trained people who can help you get through each step. You might be embarrassed because you think you should have stopped the abuse yourself. If you were tricked, you might think you should have seen from the beginning what kind of person the abuser was. It helps to remind yourself you were only a child when it happened and the abuser was much more powerful than you were. You might not want the abuser to get into trouble because you still care about him or because you’re afraid your family will be mad at you if they can’t see him any more or if he goes to jail. Remember you are not responsible for any trouble the abuser gets into - the abuser is. If the abuse has stopped, you might think there’s no point making a big deal of it. But it is a big deal. No one has a right to do what he/she did to you. You might not be sure it was sexual abuse. If you’re confused, it’s important to find a counsellor who knows about sexual abuse to help you sort out what happened.
