Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN) - 3058

Tonight's special guest is Anita Alford from Hattiesburg, Mississippi, a victim of sexual child abuse. Her friend's oldest brother (18) molested her when she was 9 or 10 yrs old. "I didn't understand what was happening to me," she says, "and I didn't know I needed to tell my parents." So she never did. "I felt ashamed and I couldn't explain it. I didn't know about sex or private parts. Maybe my parents thought I was too young to understand. That was never discussed with us as children." Anita goes on, "After my parents divorced my mother was dating and her boyfriend would come over with other male friends. I remember one of them attempting to try to try to touch me inappropriately (around age 12) and I ran from him. It made me uncomfortable but I didn't know how to tell my mother. I felt afraid, confused and ashamed." She held it inside for years. "I stuffed my emotions and suppressed them, which resulted in bad judgement, and I was raped (in college, 20-21 yrs old) by not paying attention to the red flags." She goes on, "The shame I felt made me uncomfortable with sex even as an adult. I felt as a wife it was more of my duty instead of sex being something God made for a husband and wife to enjoy." Again she didn't tell her mother. "I was molested and raped until I was 44 yrs old because I was so ashamed. That is when my healing began." Anita is passing on what she learned. "My goal is 'preventative' education being taught in a structured environment (school, preschool, daycare, head start) for children 3-9 years old. I have written a children's book to help educate children to be aware of inappropriate sexual advances and behavior from sexual predators."