Sex abuse victims urged to seek help
Co-authors of The Courage to Heal: A Guide for Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse, they urge anyone who has suffered abuse to seek help.
"You don't have to live in the shadow of this for the rest of your life, but you do have to realise that you deserve help. It takes tremendous courage to take that first step towards healing. But in order to heal you need to break the silence," Ms Davis said.
Ms Bass said not all survivors of child abuse will be in obvious distress.
"Some survivors will struggle to survive. They might have to deal with constant nightmares, or self-medicate through alcohol or drug addictions. But many will function in society; have husbands, children and jobs. But at some level things will not be right. They hold themselves back in subtle ways," she said.
Ms Davis said there is often a trigger in someone's life that pushes them towards addressing their past abuse. "It usually happens around life transitions; they give birth, or their child reaches the age they were when they were abused, their abuser dies, they get a new job, get married something that presents a window of opportunity for them to address the abuse. That's when they should contact a sexual violence centre to find out how best to deal with their past," Ms Davis said.
"If you reach out for help and that help is not as good as you hoped, reach for another form of it. Don't let the fact that one counsellor doesn't work for you turn you off," Ms Bass said.
Registration for the conference, hosted by the Cork Sexual Violence Centre, takes place between 9.30am and 10.30am today at Devere Hall, UCC. The Sexual Violence Centre Cork can be contacted at 021-4505736.
