The Faces Of Sexual Abuse

If you were asked to picture the face of someone who has experienced sexual abuse or a sexual assault, who would come to mind?

You may think of well-known cases of institutional sexual abuse that have come to light in recent years. Perhaps the face of a celebrity who has bravely shared their own story would flash before your eyes. Or you may not be able to picture anyone's face clearly at all - but instead, you would draw on media portrayals and popular culture to envision someone - a stereotype - in the abstract.

Sadly, often without knowing it, many of us could probably picture the face of someone near and dear to us. Statistics suggest that every one of us likely knows multiple people among our family members, friends and/or acquaintances who have suffered or will suffer from sexual violence at some point in their lives - whether they have disclosed it or not.