AUSTRALIA
Bega District News
By Ben Smyth Aug. 10, 2015
BEGA District News readers may remember “John”, a victim of child sexual abuse at the hands of the Marist Brothers who previously shared his story.
In the continuing saga of Maurice Van Ryn, John has once more been in touch to offer sympathy and support to victims and their families.
He has also shared his experience of finally receiving an apology from the Church – 55 years after the abuse began.
“Everyone should have the courage to stand up for the child and speak out against the paedophile,” John writes.
Read his story below
The nature of child sexual abuse
IT TOOK me 55 years to make the decision to deal with the sexual abuse that happened to me.
The decision was made in 2009 and since then the road has been a rocky one – but it has been the right one.
The legacy of the sexual abuse is complex and it is now understood the harm caused by the abuser is deeply psychological.
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The problem as I see comes with the word “child”.
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