Breaking the Silence of Domestic Violence.
October 15, 2013 at 12:07am
I am going re-posting something I wrote back in March so that those who do not know what I went through as a child will not be confused. THEN, I will post my thoughts and feelings that I have now. The first photo goes along with the first entry and the second photo goes along with my "Now" entry.
*NOTE, I do realize that on both pictures, the age that I said it occurred are different. The reason why they are different is because it either started when I was 5 OR 6, but since I was so little it's hard for me to actually give the right age number.*
"(On the picture you currently see is my “story” on my encounter with sexual abuse. I’m an adult and I have made the decision to share such personal information, because I’ve learned to move on from it, and my reasoning for sharing is to help someone else who has suffered similar to what I’ve gone through.)
Today at school there was a project going on called the ClothesLine project. The purpose of this project is to raise awareness of the reality of violence and any type of abuse. (physical, emotional, mental, sexual) It was open to the public, to everyone at school. You go in and there are hundreds of shirts laid down with different colors. Each color represented something different. I picked pink= survivors of rape or sexual assault. What you do is write your story on this t-shirt. Sharing your story. After you’re done it’s hung up for everyone to read. When I entered the room it amazed me how many shirts were already put within four hours. It’s pretty crazy seeing hundreds of shirts with a story of violence or sexual/physical abuse. It broke my heart to read the shirts… especially having to compare my story to others. Mine was worse than others… but there were far more that were worse than mine, as well. A lot of them after being read, I asked myself how in the world they were able to survive all of that. It was an inspiring, motivating experience for me to go through. I visited that room four times today, haha. Once with my mother. She read my shirt and started crying. I’m visiting that room tomorrow a couple more times, because it’s interesting to see them and be inspired. In the background there was music playing, but it represented something.
The gong- indicates a woman is reporting being assaulted. The whistle- indicates a sexual assault is being reported. the bell- indicates a woman has been killed by her intimate partner. These sounds happened what felt like every minute. It’s astounding to me that this horrible thing happens so frequent. Why?!!! It seems like everyone I encounter has experienced something like this. We live in such a horrible era! On the 2nd picture, on the right sleeve it says “If you’re reading this, you matter. You’re strong even at the weakest and darkest. Hang on… there’s hope.” I thought adding motivation was important to contribute into my story. I’ve shared in previous articles that I’ve written that I suffered depression and contemplated suicide when I was little, and now you know WHY that came into play. Best friends, my parents, 10 years of therapy, musicians, AND local music is what saved me.
This project was both emotional and healing for me to experience. For those who start speculating things that are not true. Here it is: My grandpa is DEAD. I’ve confronted my family about this matter, and if it weren’t for the support of my parents I probably wouldn’t be alive right now. Being abused is neither my fault or my parents. It’s HIS. Yes this has been reported to the police so no need to bring it up to the authorities when they already have my police report, but he left the country so he wasn’t able to be put in jail.. now he has passed away, so again, there is nothing that can be done with this matter. I was able to contact him (my decision) four years or so ago to let him know basically what you read above. I had to let him know that he did not win, and that I have succeeded and have been able to find my worth in this life. My decision again, for sharing is to help somebody else.
I’m strong, I can overcome trials, and I can and will make a difference. If my story is doing just that (or at least attempting it)… then mission accomplished.
Please, BREAK the silence. Speak up. Realize that this is a BIG problem.
The brochure I picked up based on this project says:
* Every 2 minutes someone in the U.S. is sexually assaulted.
* Teenage boys of all racial and ethnic groups are more likely to die from gunshot wounds than from all natural deaths combined, for their age group.
* Only 40% of rapes/sexual assaults are reported to the police, and only about 6% of rapists will ever serve a day in jail.
* A woman is more likely to be injured, raped, or killed by a current or former partner than by any other person."
I've been open and honest about what happened to me as a child and as I stated earlier, the reason why is because I have gone through so much to help me become the person that I am today, that I no longer let it be a part of who I am today. I want to help those who are going similar situations with my story and let people know that there is hope, and that they are not alone. This is my second year participating in this project and I am sure you will see a following post about this project/situation next year (and the year after that) because I am going to use this opportunity to spread happiness despite of the ugliness the world has to offer. I love this project. Not only is it a yearly reminder of how far I've come in life, but it's my chance to make a difference just by writing on a t-shirt. Last year, I basically went into depth of what I went through and the struggles. This year I decided to make it a motivational moment and share the happiness rather than focus on what happened. What I like about this year's project is that they still have my shirt of last year so that they can see both spectrum's of my situation, the bad, the struggles, and the happiness I want to share.
Like I stated in my March post... PLEASE share if you have the urge to do so. It's intended to be shared, seen and thought of.
prguitarman
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izzy806
