Overcoming Child Abuse

 

 

What is child abuse? 

 

Deliberate, violent acts by an adult against a child, usually by a parent or step-parent. It includes but is not limited to pornography, and use of a child for sexual acts. Also included here is battery against children. Child neglect occurs when a child is denied medical treatment, food, shelter, and/or clothing, is abandoned, or is inadequately supervised.

 

The testimony below is given to show that overcoming child abuse is a work in progress. As difficult as it is to overcome physical, emotional or sexual abuse as a child, it is even more difficult when one child has to overcome them all. We would be surprised at the number of children sitting in our pews on any given Sunday who are victims of abuse. The physical or emotional abuse are often disguised as discipline. What can the sexual abuse be disguised as?

 

PERSONAL TESTIMONY ON CHILD ABUSE

 

       My name is Ms. T. Hardin. When I was a young child, I was sexually abused. I dealt with it by never telling anyone and eventually forgetting it myself. But the only parts I mostly forgot was when I was three years old and under. And by the time I reached five years old it was almost an everyday occurrence. Instead of telling someone I kept the secret. Like I said eventually I blocked it out of my mind.

 

        I went on living an everyday life in and out of foster care homes until they finally revoked my mom’s parental rights. That’s when my aunt, who is now deceased, was granted custody of me, my twin brother, and my sister. Living with my aunt was a nightmare for the three of us. My sister and I were sexually abused everyday by my aunt’s boyfriend. Not only that, we were physically, verbally, emotionally, and mentally abused by my aunt.  She always believed whatever her boyfriend said about what we had done. In return, we were punished. We were beaten with a 2X4 board that had the word “killer” written on one side and “the law” on the other side. We could never go outside to play because we were always under punishment after being beaten for months on end.

 

      After my sister and I finally told my aunt that her boyfriend was sexually abusing us, she said we wanted it to happen. She said all we were ever going to be good at is laying on our backs. This phase of  abuse happened from the time I was ten years old to I was twelve years of age and my sister from 13 to 15.We left my aunt’s house after deciding we could no longer take it. We were placed back into the foster care system, where we were split up and I thought things would get better. But instead I was sexually abused by my foster parents grown son. I was 13 and he was 33.  He abused me for a year and a half until I started running away from their home, acting out in school, failing classes and fighting all the time. I was then removed from the home and sent to a group home to live until I was eighteen years old.

 

I then took it upon myself to return to Liberty County to be reunited with my siblings. I was doing well for myself. About four years later, I received a letter from my natural brother. I was distraught over the contents of this letter. In this letter, my oldest brother, (natural brother), who was 28 at the time, was asking me for a committed sexual relationship. He stated that he thought of me in nine good ways. He also asked if I remember when he and I use to have sex all the time? Of course, I did not remember and he gave me no details. He stated he missed the things we used to do. After reading this, I cried and cried. I called my mother and read the letter to her. I asked her where was she when all of this was taking place. Her reply was it probably happened when we were living in Miami and to get over it because I was grown now. (This was prior to my turning 5 years old.) (read more)

 

        

 

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Dr. J. G. Johnson

Issues of Life Conquered