Abigail Breslin has been known to speak out about sexual assault, but only recently has she shared that she was sexually assaulted. Now, the actress is taking to Instagram to explain why she didn’t report her assailant.
On Saturday, Abigail shared a graphic showing statistics about rapists going free. After one user commented, “Reported rapes are the only rapes that count,” Breslin felt the need to respond.
She explained that after she was sexually assaulted she was in “complete shock and total denial.” She didn’t want to “view [herself] as a victim,” so she pretended it didn’t happen. One of the biggest reasons why? She was still in a relationship with her attacker. She was scared of being hurt further by him, so she remained silent. Fear of hurting her friends and family kept her quiet too.
Breslin admitted she still suffers from PTSD because of her assault. “I have made a lot of progress since the event occurred, but I won’t pretend it isn’t something I struggle with,” Abigail wrote. “I still have flashbacks, I still get nightmares, I still jump when somebody touches me unexpectedly, even if it’s my best friend tapping me on the shoulder.”
It’s unfortunate that Abigail had to defend her decision after what she’s been through, but it’s inspiring to see her coming forward to speak out so bravely.