Because You're A Woman

Child hood sexual abuse is insidious and devastating.

30% of the 1 in 5 women who have experienced childhood sexual abuse never tell anyone what happened. They carry it throughout their life as a shameful secret. These women need a voice to speak up for them; society needs to know that this is an epidemic and that it is damaging life potential for so many people.

When I wrote ‘Because you’re a Woman’, I often had to remind myself of the reason why I was telling my story. Not because I wanted everyone to know what a difficult childhood I had had, but because I wanted other women who had been abused to know that it is OK to own up to what you experienced, that there is no shame in it, and no guilt to be lived with. I want to encourage other women to tell of their experience because only then can they begin to heal. And if I couldn’t stand up in public and own my story, how could I expect others to talk about theirs?

I had always hidden the real me because  I believed that it was ugly, and bad. Until I learned that this belief was not true. I had been denying myself the freedom to love and be loved, because these beliefs were suppressing the real me.

One thing women can do well is TALK. We should all encourage each other to talk and share our deep worries. By sharing and understanding that others have hidden fears and worries we can help each other to overcome them and develop a strong inner belief that we are confident and beautiful. If we believe this, then others will too!

www.jacki-rodikis.co.uk    ‘Because you’re a Woman’