Telling Is the Beginning of Healing and Justice

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Todd Bridges spoke recently about being sexually abused as a child and about disclosing that abuse to his father, who, according to Todd, did not believe or support him.
It is crucial to listen to a child who is trusting you enough to tell. Most children never tell anyone about their abuse, so when a child does take the risk to disclose, we must stop, listen and, calmly, take action, calling DCF or 911 or both. The odds are the abuser has more victims than the one disclosing to you, so this disclosure might be key in helping many other children.
Telling is the beginning of healing and the beginning of justice. It is our job, our adult job, to know how to handle disclosure to keep this child, and probably others, safe from further harm.