survivors speak out
It's been a relaxing and completely unproductive couple of weeks but I'm back (for now at least), and gearing up mentally for a busy month ahead. Projects on the go include features on shoddy housing, the criminal justice system, racism and domestic abuse....watch this space.
Unusually for me, I have been paying little attention to what's going on in Manchester and beyond. One of the only events to have caught my eye was a rally on Saturday, at which survivors of childhood sexual abuse stood up and spoke out about their experiences.
Some experts believe as many one in four men and one in three women may have been sexually abused before the age of 18. At least a quarter of recorded rape victims are children.
The men and women who took part in the End the Silence event reject the label "victim", just like they refuse to let their abusers ruin their lives. I have the utmost respect for these people - what an incredibly courageous approach to take.
Childhood abuse is something I've written about several times this year (namely here and here), and although it is a sad topic, the people who choose to speak out are such inspiring, strong characters. I find their life stories tragic but endlessly fascinating.
I digress. Saturday's rally was the first one held outside London for 15 years, and some participants travelled hundreds of miles to be part of it.
Organiser Lisa Hill, 33, from Chorley, described to me what effect the abuse had on her.
She said: “This abuse is not something confined to childhood – the scars can be lifelong. I missed out on so much: my childhood, the joys of adolescence, my first kiss, losing my virginity - the list goes on and on.
“Sexual abuse of children is still considered to be a taboo subject, with society preferring to ignore and turning the other way. If we start discussing the issue more, these children would have somewhere to go and a chance to stop what is happening to them.
“If just one child who is being abused hears what we have to say and reports what has happened to them, then this rally was worth it.”