Disclosing the Abuse

• Author: Loree Armstrong Beniuk, Jo-Anne Hughes, and Jack Reynolds
• Pages: 27-33

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Disclosing the Abuse

Lisa was fourteen years old when she went to live with her grandfather. Lisa’s

mother had died a very traumatic death and the only relative that Lisa had was her

maternal grandfather.

When grandfather began to sexually abuse Lisa, she was too afraid to tell him to

stop. She knew that there were no other relatives with whom she could live. Grand-

father was the only person who stood between Lisa and foster care.

By the time she disclosed the sexual abuse, Lisa realized that she would have

been much better o in foster care. . . .

Lisa wanted her grandfather’s love and approval so much that she would have

done anything to obtain it. . . . Grandfather told Lisa that when they had sex it was

his “proof” of his love for her.

— Sandy Knauer, No Ordinary Life

In order for child abuse to be investigated and potentially prosecuted, and

for the children to receive support and protection, abuse f‌irst needs to come

to light. This initial hurdle can be dif‌f‌icult to overcome, as many childrendo

not come forward with what has happened to them. There are many reasons

for this—they may be fearful of the of‌fender, embarrassed, or afraid that

they may get in trouble. They may not even understand that what happened

was abuse. Many childrenwill hold on tothis information for a long time,

oen not telling until they have reachedadulthood. Some may never tell.

When suspicions of child sexual abuse are reported, there is seldom

enough information provided to appreciate everything that has taken place,

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