Helping others speak out.....

Hey guys you all have read how i was abused. I have written before that my abuse had started around the ages of 10 and 13 but the truth is that t started happening before. I DID NOT LIE!!! I just blocked it out because i didn't want to admit to myself that the abuse was occurring for a while. I wanted it to be a one time thing and that's it. But in reality its not a one time thing. The abuse occurred on and off since maybe around 8 or 9. So its not that much sooner than what i had said but it did happen earlier. I hated that i went through this. But again i say that if i did not experience all these bad things, I wouldn't be as strong as i am now. I am stronger not only because i am a survivor but because i am using my voice and i am shedding light to an issue that doesn't seem to be talked about to often. Keeping silent is a choice most victims do but at the same time by speaking it you can help others come forward and help them seek justice. You have so much support and i am here for you. Please join and speak out against silence

Why do you think people prefer silence over speaking out...........

The reason i started this project and asking this question is because SILENCE! is a huge topic that is going on and there are many who are silent for many reason. I have asked this question and i have receive several answers. You will be surprised at the answers and how many people feel the same way about remaining silent.

WHY DO YOU THINK PEOPLE PREFER SILENCE OVER SPEAKING OUT?

- because their scared and feel lonely and blame them selfs even though they had no control of it and people not believing them
- Don't wanna be looked down on. Or someone judging me, or saying it wasn't really abuse, compared to what others go thru...
-Hi Tara, I am a survivor that stayed quiet for almost 8 years. I really encourage others to speak out because my silence was a very lonely place. I have actually put my story out for others to read. My hope is that it might help at least one person break their silence. Also finding the strength to speak out may result in justice. I dont think any survivor would regret coming forward knowing justice was served. :)
- Because of shame, guilt and not being believed. It's also very scary to come forward. I only "managed" thx to Mariska . Love, C
-don't think its better I just think shame, abusers control, u want 2 forget it happened...u can 4awhile but it will come back up then I had 2 speak up b/c a dear friend came forward for me and no one believed me!
-Hey Tara I think that many people remain silent because the reality is it is very hard to come forward. A lot of people don't want to hear it, they just stick their heads in the sand. Its is very sad, sometimes things can go very bad for someone when they first expose the abuse. But on a personal note, I would not change coming forward at all. I became a pariah amongst most of my family. But I felt like I had to keep moving forward. I owe it to my self. Keeping a secret like this festers away. I am worth more. 
-I prefer silence because nobody can judge my opinions. Its keeping things inside my head. It's easier to focus sometimes with silence. 




THESE ARE THE ANSWERS I HAVE RECEIVE. 
So the point of this project was to see how many people actually feels ashamed of their abuse. For a long time i was ashamed of what happened to me. I felt like it was my fault. I felt like i did something to make them hurt me. But WE DID NOTHING WRONG!!!!! WE DIDN'T ASK FOR THIS. ITS NOT OUR FAULT THAT THOSE PEOPLE ARE SICK AND WOULD WANT TO HURT CHILDREN AND WOMEN. We are survivors. We should stand strong by each others side. I have found so much support through the JOYFUL HEART FOUNDATION BY MARISKA HARGITAY AND ALSO THROUGH RAINN. The people that helped me speak out were from the Joyful Heart. I found other survivors that supported me and encourage me to speak out. I may have not sought justice but i know i am safe because i moved out my house in which i was abused. He can no longer have control of me. Thats the beauty of speaking out. Your abusers can no longer control you. By staying silent its like allowing them to have control of your life. YOU CAN BREAK THAT CHAIN. YOU CAN BE SET FREE. SPEAK OUT WHEN YOUR READY TO SPEAK OUT. YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO IT NOW BUT WHEN YOUR READY YOU WILL HAVE SO MANY PEOPLE STANDING BEHIND YOU AND GIVING YOU THE SUPPORT THAT YOU NEED. I am here for you all. Don't make the mistake i made and not seeking justice. Thank God he is still with my mother because there are no more children being hurt. But if you have people who are supporting you and actually believe you then go on and SPEAK OUT. NO MORE VICTIMS NO LONGER SILENT. WE ARE BREAKING THAT CYCLE RIGHT NOW!!!! NO LONGER ALLOWING OUR ABUSERS HAVE CONTROL. 

Thankful...

I first want to start off by saying that i am thankful to all those who started following my blog and who are also getting healed through reading my blog. I want to continue to encourage you all to speak out against abuse. I know i may have already said this but i can't stress this enough the reason why i couldn't speak out and seek justice. Yes i am speaking out online and such but i cant do it pubically because of my mother. If you look through all my post, i cant remember which one, i had written that i couldn't tell my mother because she wouldn't believe me and she loves her husband dearly. She also suffers from heart problems so i dare not tell her now what her precious husband had done to me. I never sought justice because she didnt believe that he could do such thing. The worse part of it all is that his family even told her not to marry him because he had a history of molesting girls from his previous relationship but she ignored everyone and still married him. It makes me sick to hear that and know that she still chose him after being told something like that. What mother in the right mind would chose a man like that and who had a history like that. I promised myself that i would never do such thing and i would believe my child if they told me something like that. I hate that she is in denial about everything. There has been times that i wanted to tell her about it but i couldnt work up the courage to tell her. I wish i could go back in time and stop this from ever happening. I know this may sound wrong but in ways what i been through made me the person i am today. I am stronger. I am wiser. I am a survivor and through my story and through my blog i know that someone out there will see this and have the courage the speak out and tell someone. Please dont make the same mistake i made and not tell when it first happens. Get the help you need. I chose to be quiet because i was ashamed of myself for allowing it to happen. I felt it was my fault. But you know what IT WASNT MY FAULT!!!!!!! Same goes to you!!! ITS NOT YOUR FAULT. YOU DID NOTHING WRONG!!!!!!! We never asked for this to happen to us. We never wanted this. DO NOT ALLOW those who harmed you say that you asked for this. We never did nor will ever ask for something like this to happen. Its not our fault.No matter who you felt, no matter who your body felt during the abuse its not your fault. Please believe that. There are people who are standing by and who will support you and stand by your side like myself. I have chosen to use my voice and share my story with the world. I have chosen to be a voice to those who have kept silent for many years. You are not alone. I am here. Please SPEAK OUT!!!! NO MORE SILENCE!!!!

Older Men.....

I have always wondered why suddenly i have been attracted to older men. I realized that its because i was molested by my step-dad and uncle and my real father was not around as much. Him and my mother have been divorce since i about 2 and a half and 3 so my stepfather raised me since then. I pretty much viewed him as my father. He was always there for me. He took care of me. When i was sick he would rubbed vicks vapor rub on my back and chest. When he was doing that he would start to rub my nipples with the palm of his hands. Since i saw him as my father i didn't know or think anything of it. I just thought it was normal for a dad to do that to his child. As i got a little older still only like 9 or 10 or so he would scratch my back. Again i thought nothing of it. He would scratch along side my arm where with his fingers he could touch my breast. I thought nothing of it. I was never taught good touch/bad touch. The first time that he got more into touching me was when i was sick with pneumonia. I was around the age of 10 or so. My mother had gone to Florida to visit my sister at that time. I was in his room which was where the television was at. I was seating on the couch. I was feeling sick so i stayed in his and my moms room. He then would start to kiss me. I didn't know what to do. In many ways my body started to act crazy. I didn't understand what was going on. I hate that reaction. How does a ten year old now about the way her body is suppose to act towards something like this. My body enjoyed it although the rest of me did not. I hate it so much. I wanted to scream but i was sick and i was in a daze. I felt like this couldn't be happening to me. I would stop and tell him to stop but then he would bribe with money and sweets. Then i would still let him touch me. After a while i had gotten up to use the bathroom.Then i went to my room. He then followed me and pinned me against the wall and began moving his body back and forth as though in a sexual manner. Again i didn't know what to do or say. I just stood there and let him do that to me. After years went on i would still let him scratch my back. He even started rubbing me feet when i had started working. When he did that he would start moving his hand more up my pant leg and rub my legs. I felt uncomfortable but again me body felt otherwise. I hate the fact that my body enjoyed that. I hate myself for allowing that man to continue to touch me even after what he did. I couldn't stand it. The sad part to all of this isn't what happened to me but the fact that i couldn't tell my mother. When i had told her about my uncle she didn't do anything about it so why would she do something with this man. So the point that i am getting is that by all of this that happen to me, not having a true male role model in my life or daddy figure, i am drawn to other men. I guess i am just looking for that guy to give me the love i never felt from my stepdad nor my real father. So i am praying that i can change and not allow my abuse to have that much control over my life. So i am speaking out against remaining silent and from allowing my abuse to control my life. I am no longer a victim but am a strong survivor.

Pros and Cons of keeping silent........

I have decided to make my own pros and con list of why it is hard to keep silent and to most why it is ok to keep silent.These are what i think happens since it happened to me. Im going to start off with the Cons.... Here we go....
Cons
-Your emotions go haywire.
-Your flashbacks are worse.
-Flashbacks are more frequent.
-Since you kept the hurt to yourself in ways you try to deny it happened
-You start to believe that is was your fault.
-You feel like you deserve it
-You begin to think no one will believe you.
-You become depress and start to cut yourself.

Pros
WELL THERE ARE NO PROS TO KEEPING SILENT. SPEAK OUT NOW. DON'T MAKE THE MISTAKE I DID. I NEVER SPOKE OUT TO SOMEONE ABOUT MY ABUSE. I KEPT SILENT FOR 10+ YRS. NO ONE BELIEVE. NO EVEN MY MOTHER. IF THERE IS SOMEONE WHO IS WILLING TO LISTEN TO YOU AND HELP YOU OUT PLEASE GO AND TALK TO THEM ABOUT YOUR ABUSE. DON'T HOLD IN IT. ITS NOT WORTH THE PAIN. THE SUFFERING YOU HAVE TO ENDURE WHEN YOU KEPT SILENT. I WAS SUICIDAL AT ONE POINT. I USED TO CUT MYSELF. I STOPPED BECAUSE I WAS ABLE TO MOVE OUT THE HOUSE EVEN THOUGH IT TOOK MY TIL I WAS 24 YEARS OLD. YOU HAVE TO SPEAK OUT. PLEASE!!! YOU ARE NOT ALONE. I MAY NOT BE THERE PHYSICALLY BUT I AM HERE FOR THOSE WHO NEED SUPPORT. ALTHOUGH I WAS NOT RAPED BUT I WAS MOLESTED TWICE SO I KNOW HOW IT FEELS TO BE HURT. ITS HARD. BUT IN THE END YOU WILL BE OK. YOU HAVE MY SUPPORT. AS WELL AS SUPPORT FROM OTHER SURVIVORS AND PLACES TO GO TO. I FOUND SUPPORT THROUGH THE JOYFUL HEART FOUNDATION WHICH WAS CREATED BY MARISKA HARGITAY. SHE IS AMAZING AND SHE HELPS VICTIMS. YOU CAN REACH OUT TO THAT FOUNDATION. VISIT THE WEBSITE. THERE IS ALSO ONE CALLED RAINN. YOU HAVE OPTIONS. I DIDNT. PLEASE GET HELP. IM HERE IF YOU NEED ENCOURAGEMENT OR JUST THAT LITTLE PUSH. YOU CAN DO IT. I HAVE FAITH IN YOU ALL. DON'T GIVE OUR ABUSERS THAT JUSTICE. THE FACT THAT THEY HAD POWER OVER US. WE ARE NO LONGER VICTIMS. WE ARE SURVIVORS AND WE WILL STAND STRONG TOGETHER.

Child Abuse

Child Abuse in America

Children are suffering from a hidden epidemic of child abuse and neglect. Over 3 million reports of child abuse are made every year in the United States; however, those reports can include multiple children. In 2009, approximately 3.3 million child abuse reports and allegations were made involving an estimated 6 million children. 

GENERAL STATISTICS    


   . A report of child abuse is made every ten seconds

*More than five children die every day as a result of child abuse.

Approximately 80% of children that die from abuse are under the age of 4. 

It is estimated that between 50-60% of child fatalities due to maltreatment are not recorded as such on death certificates. 

More than 90% of juvenile sexual abuse victims know their perpetrator in some way. 

Child abuse occurs at every socioeconomic level, across ethnic and cultural lines, within all religions and at all levels of education.

About 30% of abused and neglected children will later abuse their own children, continuing the horrible cycle of abuse. 

About 80% of 21 year olds that were abused as children met criteria for at least one psychological disorder. 

The estimated annual cost of child abuse and neglect in the United States for 2007 is $104 billion. 

• Abused children are 25% more likely to experience teen pregnancy. 
• Abused teens are less likely to practice safe sex, putting them at greater risk for STDs.
• 14% of all men in prison in the USA were abused as children. 
• 36% of all women in prison were abused as children. 
• Children who experience child abuse & neglect are 59% more likely to be arrested as a juvenile, 28% more likely to be arrested as an adult, and 30% more likely to commit violent crime. 
• One-third to two-thirds of child maltreatment cases involve substance use to some degree. 
• Children whose parents abuse alcohol and other drugs are three times more likely to be abused and more than four times more likely to be neglected than children from non-abusing families.
• As many as two-thirds of the people in treatment for drug abuse reported being abused or neglected as children.

Should I or Shouldnt I........

Well some may already now that i am majoring in psychology. I will be getting my bachelors degree in four years to become a counselor for victims since i have been through the same things as them. My biggest fear is that i will not be able to keep my composure when it comes to counseling them. Im afraid of triggers, emotions and memories of the abuse. I hate when my emotions get the best of me. I hate when i have to deal with the memories of what happened to me. I hate that. I can deal with what happened to me but when it comes to the emotions its really hard to get through them. Why is that? So my thing is this. Am i really going for the right career path? Or am i just going to have to deal with this and just follow my dreams. I know the answer to this question. Just needed to say it aloud. I know i can help many women and children just through my own experiences. I have already been helping people and i love the responses im getting from it. It makes me feel better when i can make someone who has been through a rough time feel better and understand that what happened to them was not their fault. I know that what i been through was not my fault. Some times i still struggle with things that happened to me. Some times i feel disgusted at the fact that my body enjoyed what it been through. I hate that. I hate myself at times because of that. I don't like it at all. But i learned that its normal for that to happen. It doesn't mean that we wanted it to happened or that we actually enjoyed it. Another thing that i hated was that i did not stop him right away. Its like i wanted more. I still hate myself for allowing myself to do that. I hate it. One thing that i have to say is this; one episode of Law and Order SVU Mariska Hargitay's character Det. Olivia said something that made me think. She said that some victims tend to seek out older men in relationships to fell in the void of not having that male figure in your life. I tend to do that. For some reason i am attracted to older men. I like them. Not sure if it has to do with what i been through but that made me think about what im doing. Is it really wrong though. Anyway i just wanted to share this little piece of my life at the moment and what im thinking about. I know i made the right choice in my degree and i hope i can succeed in it.