Breaking The Silence

I took me a very long time before I found it possible to tell my family about the abuse I suffered from my Uncle. I felt trapped as when the abuse first started I felt that I was too young to be believed and that as an adult he would be believed over me. Then as time went on and I became older I just didn’t know how to find the words to tell my family.

I felt ashamed and in some ways as though I was to blame for what was happening to me.

Now I know neither of those feelings I should feel however at times I do still feel them.

I have had counselling and do find it hard at different times to cope with some of the things I went through. However as I have become older I have found it easier to talk about what my Uncle did to me and the importance of speaking up about it. I feel that if me speaking up about my experience helps just one other person confide in someone or seek help with what they are going through then it would be worth me talking about my experience.

If, as someone who has been through it, I stayed silent I would feel as though my abuser would have succeed in what he had done to me for all of those years in keeping me silent. He may never face the justice in court which he should have done as he committed suicide but I am able to now move on and use my experience to help others.