Abuse is something no woman, girl or even man should go through. Whether it is mental, sexual, or physical abuse, one needs to tell someone their story or else the cycle will continue for generations. The moment someone says what happened, it is right then and there, the curse will be broken and others will be able to tell their story too.
Recently, I watched a Netflix movie called “Mississippi Damned,” and it was about how abuse went from one generation to the next. A few family members went through sexual abuse, others had alcohol, and some even had physical abuse. But I believe they all went through mental abuse, even the grandmother, who was the foundation of the family. She never said it was wrong, or tried to put a stop to what was going on with her children and grandkids. Instead, one daughter had alcohol and drug problems, while another daughter had a husband who would beat on her. Then one grandchild, Sammie, was abused while he was a teen, and he then abused his cousin Kari. Lastly, the family knew what Sammie did to Kari, but no one said anything to see if she was ok. They all somewhat swept it under the rug and continued with life, although the entire family knew.
That is where the problem lies, we often tell maybe one person of the abuse, or sometimes we won’t tell anyone at all. But for the ones we told, they will sweep it under the rug or they urge us to tell the next person, so it is out of our system. According to http://www.nationalchildrensalliance.org/ 205,438 children reported sexual abuse in 2014, and 154,529 were over 18 years old. Then http://www.safevoices.org/statistics.php states that one in four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime, and women between the ages of 16 and 24, experience the highest per capita rate of intimate violence. These few facts help give insight as to why it is so important to open your mouth and say something. Never let the fact, that someone may judge you or laugh at you, stop you from saying something. Don’t even let those who tell you “no,” to discourage you from telling your story. Please, if you or a loved one has been through this or a similar situation, speak up and allow your story to help the next person.