#MeToo #shilpimarwaha

Sexual abuse is not necessarily physical, it may be inflicted mentally as well. Moreover when the abuse comes from the closest one, from the family, from the one whom you trusted from the core of your heart, becomes more traumatic.

At the same time, it has been seen that the victim becomes tightlipped about the whole suffering from others since this is more painful to articulate the trauma and accusing someone close. Not because of any fear of exposure but the same is difficult to digest, hard to self-realise that he or she has been abused. The victim refuses to believe or accept that the abuser is the one whom he or she trusted most. It renders the abuse not only physical, it becomes MentalAbuse, abuse of trust, abuse of faith.

The physical/sexual abuse leaves its shadow behind in the form of mental abuse. As long as the victim is alive, he or she gets abused day and night with the thought of that one advancement by the abuser in past.

In addition to that when the abuser goes free and entertained by others who has knowledge of the incident but does not protest, that adds to the victim's wound. The wound of life time. Abuser is not only the one who has actually abused, but the keens, the abettors and the society at large is responsible for the abuse.

(Shilpi Marwaha)