Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN) - 1983

Tonight's special guest is Sarah from New Zealand, a NAASCA member who regularly participates on our show and forums and is telling her story for the first time. Sarah was born about one year after her mother had experienced a violent gang rape. Her father was married to another woman when Sarah's mother became pregnant, and he left his wife. There was domestic violence between her parents, and when she was 4 years old they separated. Animosity between them continued. Sarah's mother was angry all the time and took out her frustration by physically and verbally abusing Sarah and her two siblings. At 8 years old she was sexually abused by her uncle, who was jailed for it, but Sarah was never offered any treatment for the trauma. Her father sided with his brother instead of supporting Sarah. Like most sexually abused children, Sarah internalized feelings of shame. She coped with the trauma by avoidance and distraction, spending much time reading books or creating a fantasy world in her mind as an escape from reality. Through her 20's and 30's Sarah focused on working and raising her children. She became excessively busy, self-critical, and struggled with feeling she had to be 'perfect.' When her father was diagnosed with terminal cancer Sarah became his caregiver, which triggered  flashbacks of the sexual abuse and nightmares. She experienced an emotional rock-bottom and realized the trauma from her childhood had never gone away. Sarah has only recently begun her recovery process with a therapist and reaching out to other survivors through NAASCA. We are so glad to welcome her here where she feels ready to speak out for the first time. We invite you to call in and join the conversation. Offer your support to a fellow survivor.