A Moment of Silence

Lets us remember the silent scores of those who have experienced childhood sexual abuse.

There are many who have quieted the voices by committing suicide. Some have ended up committed to psychiatric institutions, jails and prisons across our country. Still others have struggled through their lives trying to create some sense of normalcy. Some have found great difficulty in maintaining relationships, keeping jobs, taking care of their personal health and wellness. Coping is almost beyond the realm of possibility.

I would like to emphasize the importance of keeping something very important in mind, no-one is afflicted the same way as another. Abuse manifests itself in as many forms as our personalities themselves. It takes very little research to know the variety of conditions we suffer with. Of course there are many similarities, but still it is silly to compare people one with another.

I am experiencing the debilitation of what happened so many years ago. I stuffed it down and it festered like an infected sore. Though it remained hidden it began to show itself in a myriad of ways, until the point it burst through my skin and splattered its sickness everywhere. On the people I know and love, my friends and acquaintances, work associates and even strangers.

My heart is heavy, not only for me, but for all those who have been abused. We often times are not able to see justice executed on our behalf. Why is this any different from an unsolved murder? What about serial rapists who go free while their victims are stuck in the moment they lost everything sacred? We are a misunderstood lot for we cannot even understand what and why this all must be. Therapy and medications are the course of action, but they are nothing more than a game of cat and mouse with this ever-present menace.

Today is going to stand as a solitary moment in the life of the abused. It will be the end for some or the very beginning. It will be a day in the long tired road that has been trod, what seems like forever for still others.

Please, remember us…give us that respect…take a moment of silence for the silent.