‘I call it a life sentence’
Kensington woman, who was sexually assaulted as a child over a nine-year period, speaks out in hopes of helping others
Anne Gallant of Kensington is still dealing with the devastating effects of being sexually assaulted as a child.
Only now is she comfortable enough to talk about it with the media, hoping that her words might help someone else.
“I call it a life sentence . . . for any victim,’’ said Gallant, now 54.
She doesn’t want to say much about the assault, for a variety of reasons, but Gallant does say it occurred over a nine-year period.
“I want to make people aware of how devastating sexual abuse of a child is on the child and going into adulthood as well. You never get over it. A touch, a sound, a smell can bring it all back. For me, it was a laughter, a mocking laughter and it brought back intense feelings of fear.’’
Gallant said she was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in 2015 and has had trust and relationship issues with people for years. As a child, she threw herself into school and sports because it provided an escape but she recalls feeling alienated all the time.
“I had friends but they were never too close. There’s about 10 years of my life that I don’t remember (but) as a teen I remember playing sports but never having really close friends. You make friends, you like the person but never trust the person because you’re afraid of getting hurt.’’
She would sabotage a relationship, breaking it off so there would be no risk of getting hurt.
Gallant graduated with honours from George Brown College in Toronto in 1983 in graphic design and was working as a freelance artist when she was offered a high-paying position. But she rejected it because the man who would have been her boss placed his hand on her shoulder.
“That touch on my shoulder . . . it brought back an intense
feeling of fear and I didn’t know why. I got drunk that night and told them I wouldn’t take the job.’’
Gallant said she’s never been able to hold down a job for more than a year at a time. Approaching the media and speaking out was difficult, she said, but something Gallant felt she had to do.
“Because there are still little
girls and little boys being abused and I feel a responsibility to speak out. It’s the right thing to do.’’
Gallant said she’s currently getting help from staff at the P.E.I. Rape and Sexual Assault Centre.
“People who make decisions have to start taking this more seriously because it’s still happening. It has to stop.’’