On the route today, I listened to the podcast "Believed" on NPR Radio.
You can listen here https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510326/believed
My take away is that it is so powerful for victims of sexual abuse to be BELIEVED.
It is hard to articulate the way people can not hear you.
Harder still to explain how the disbelief creates a doubt in yourself and how you see the world.
This case was pivotal for me, in the strength the women showed each time they felt believed. How each victim took their power back by standing in the courtroom speaking of their abuse AND were Believed.
As you listen to the podcast, you can see how Larry Nassar was able to use their loyalty and trust against the parents. It is a brilliant yet tragic depiction of how the abuser works as well as how the systems in place failed the girls.
I also can see how the timing had to be right, that the right person had to ask the right questions.
This is a great podcast for all parents to listen to.
You believe, that you can pick a pedophile out of your peer group, but can you?
A very good insight into how abuse literally can go undetected and how the child looks for clues in the adults in their world.
The most important and the first thing an adult should do is Believe.
A child who is believed, will suffer much less than a child who isn't.
