Buried memories of clerical sexual abuse revealed, 2
THERAPISTS i n the Preda Foundation Emotional Release Therapy room can see and hear it in the cries and screams and feel the anger and feelings of hatred that pour out of the child-victims when they finally have their chance to retaliate and fight back against the powerful, cruel abuser. Here, they kick and punch and scream at the abuser, freely without fear.
But when first abused, they have no chance to fight back. They are overpowered, intimidated, struck dumb with fear of what evil the abuser might do to them or their family with scary threats of greater violence if the child-victims ever report what happened to them.
The small, vulnerable children live in fear and shame. They are scared, silent and most have no trust in adults who have power over them. That is why they cannot tell anyone. Even they are afraid to tell their own parents lest they be blamed or punished for accusing their abuser who might be their father, grandfather, relative or a neighbor for raping or molesting them.
The child victims have deep anger with a deep buried pain caused by the abusers. They have no chance to get justice, to fight back, to denounce their attacker and rapist. They live in a dark silence that affects everything in their lives. It is worse than COVID because there is no cure, no justice for most victims and they can never tell anyone.
What more if the sexual abuser is a powerful official with authority and is well connected to people in power and even to the victim’s family? That is the case of a child from Zamboanga, call her Rosie, only six years old when she was in the power of a barangay official when she went to his house with a friend to watch a DVD.
He took her into a room, closed the door and window and covered her mouth and warned and threatened her to stay silent. There, he raped her, holding her hands so she would stop struggling against him.
She was scared to tell anyone because of threats. She buried the memory of the several acts of sexual abuse deep within her memory and tried to live as if it never happened.
Rosie lived with stress, tension and fear. The buried traumatic experience was always there, nagging at her, especially if she saw her abuser. These are children that seldom, if ever, have the courage to report the hurt and pain that they suffered and endured. But after several years of living in fear, one day, Rosie met a cousin who showed kindness and understanding to her and she was able to reveal all that happened to her. Her cousin told her mother and with the help of her aunt, a religious sister, Rosie was brought to the Preda Foundation to heal and recover.
After several weeks in the Preda home, she took the emotional release therapy and began to cry for the first time. After several sessions, she opened up and was shouting at her abuser and finally fighting back. She became emotionally stronger and clear in her mind and feelings and was able to tell her story. Then, she was determined to file a case against her abuser.
Justice for victims of abuse is hard to come by. The victims remain silent and when there is a chance in later years to be listened to and believed, they cannot file a case and get justice because the statute of limitations prevents it. The statute of limitations only protects the rapists and abusers and they should be rescinded everywhere or extended to 40 years. Justice for children must be done and seen to be done. (preda.org)
The child victims have deep anger with a deep buried pain caused by the abusers.