With each passing year, survivors of childhood sexual abuse across the world are stepping out to raise their voices.
A 55-year-old man in the UK, who is pursuing a civil lawsuit against the Sisters of Nazareth for abuse he allegedly endured as a child at Nazareth House in Gqeberha, is the latest survivor to seek accountability.
His story is not isolated and mirrors that of many other people who have suffered historical abuse.
It should not be ignored.
The complainant, who declined to be named, lived for four years in the late 1970s and early ’80s at Nazareth House, which today focuses on care for the elderly and frail.
Nazareth House was established in 1889 by the Sisters of Nazareth, a Catholic order of nuns, in the then-Port Elizabeth.
The founding objective was to care for indigent elderly adults and orphaned children.
When the man arrived at Nazareth House in 1978 with his brother and sister, the facility was being run as an orphanage.
He found himself being preyed upon by a trainee teacher who used his position to gain trust before allegedly committing repeated acts of sexual abuse.
“I went from being a good student to failing [grade 8],” the complainant said.
“From the age of 16, for 20 years, I self-medicated and eventually became a drug addict.
“I couldn’t tell anyone what this teacher [allegedly] did to me.”
It wasn’t until he had built a life, a support system and the emotional strength to revisit the trauma that he could finally act.
A British firm of solicitors has taken on his case, saying it appears the complainant was one of several children who suffered similar harm during that time.
They have asked for any witnesses or other complainants to come forward.
We should remember that the passing of time should not matter in such cases. In this case, the complainant does not seek money but rather acknowledgment.
The question of why now should not be asked. It is a question that betrays a deep misunderstanding of trauma.
Children do not always have the language, safety or strength to speak out.
Abuse silences. It isolates.
The Herald
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