May 23, 2006

No more silent suffering

CANADA
London Free Press

By JOE BELANGER, FREE PRESS REPORTER

Tired of "suffering in silence," male survivors of sexual abuse are demanding government fund services and treatment for victims.

A London group calling itself The Brotherhood of Friends will meet at 3 p.m. Friday at Interfaith, 144 Dundas St., along with a group of therapists and counsellors, to develop a strategy to push for services that now are almost non-existent. ...

Berube said that's because many men choose to "suffer in silence" because they're ashamed, feel guilt, blame themselves or fear no one will believe them.

"They're hidden, the silent victims," said Berube, 51, a former school principal who is now on disability after suffering years of depression.

He was abused by a priest as a child in the northern Ontario town of Warren, east of Sudbury, where he was raised.

Posted by kshaw at May 23, 2006 08:08 AM