You are not on your own
Wendy King
A woman who was sexually abused as a child says she is setting up a support line to help others in a similar situation.
Wendy King, 49, was just five-years-old when her abuser began a 14-year reign of assault.
The grandmother-of-two from Crawley, who has since moved to Horsham, has had to give up work because of a disability, but says it has given her the time to focus on offering support to others, something she has wanted to do for many years.
Wendy, who waived her anonymity to talk to the Observer, said: “I just feel that this type of crime should be kept in the limelight because it is such an important issue and it is very difficult for people to come forward and talk about what has happened to them. I wanted to set up something to help other people, and I thought if I can publish my email address, they can contact me confidentially, and if they want me to, I can give them advice and support. They do not need to give me their name, and if they don’t want me to reply, I won’t. It is a way for someone to just be able to talk. It is important to be able to find the strength to tell somebody you trust and who can be trusted to support you, it is a long road and it is not a pleasant road, but it is worth it in the end.”
Wendy said it was a particularly relevant time to publish her support line after 300 victims came forward accusing former DJ and presenter, Jimmy Savile, of sexual attacks on children during his 40 year radio and television career. She said: “I was very sad that Jimmy Savile got away with it for so many years. I was shocked that so many victims felt they couldn’t tell anyone about the abuse and I think that was very much the culture of the time.
“When I heard about Jimmy Savile, it was very difficult for me, because it brought up all of the emotions again. I thought there are other people like me who are feeling the same thing reading this.
“It is really important for a victim to understand you should not feel guilty, it is not your fault, your perpetrator is the one who knows what he is doing, he is the one that is wrong. I do feel annoyed when people say, why didn’t she or he go to the police sooner. It is not that simple and it takes a lot of courage to come out. I would say I was a victim, but I am now a survivor, I am getting on with my life and it is possible for other people to do that as well.”
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Weather for Crawley
Thursday 23 May 2013
Today
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