If last night’s Golden Globes ceremony was any indication, women speaking out and standing up to the sexual harassment, assault and abuse they’ve endured isn’t going anywhere in 2018. In support of the #TimesUp movement, which played a major role in yesterday’s Golden Globes ceremony, Bella Thorne came forward with her story of sexual and physical abuse on Sunday.
In an Instagram post, which featured Thorne in a black jacket to show solidarity with the celebrities donning all-black on the red carpet yesterday, the actress revealed that she’d been sexually and physically abused for much of her childhood until she was 14 years old.
“I was sexually abused and physically growing up from the day I can remember till I was 14..when I finally had the courage to lock my door at night and sit by it,” Thorne captioned the photo. “All damn night. Waiting for someone to take advantage of my life again. Over and over I waited for it to stop and finally it did. But some of us aren’t as lucky to get out alive. Please today stand up for every soul Mistreated. #timesup”
Later in the day on Twitter, Thorne added an important point about why many victims (especially children and teenagers) never come forward with their stories — they’re often too young to fully understand what happened to them in the first place
I never knew what was right or wrong growing up..I didn’t know the person sneaking into my bed room at night was a bad person. #timesup pic.twitter.com/PD6PY7LgcX
— bella thorne (@bellathorne) January 7, 2018
We’re sure it wasn’t easy for Bella to come forward and share her story — but it’s amazing to see her using her platform to show other victims that they are not alone and that sexual harassment, assault and abuse won’t be tolerated.