Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN) - 3168

Tonight's special guest is Gloria Masters from Auckland, New Zealand, who says, "My father put me through hell for 16 years." She goes on, "My journey is quite unusual and is depicted as one from darkness into light and is one of hope, resilience and the unrelenting power of the human spirit to survive." She was born into sex slavery in 1960 in middle-class New Zealand. "For the first sixteen years of my life, I suffered horrendous sexual, physical and psychological abuse at the hands of my father, with no one to protect me." Now Gloria is an author and advocate for adults who have experienced child sexual abuse who speaks from her years of experience, turning the final corner of healing into giving back. She does this through highlighting the issue of child sexual abuse to help other survivors. She has just published her second book, 'Flightpath To Healing – A Guide For CSA Survivors', and is also the founder and CEO of 'Handing The Shame Back Foundation'. Gloria uses her personal story because she knows this brings hope to those afraid to speak out. "From the underworld of my father's pedophile ring," she says, "to the groups he trafficked me to, I found an inner strength and a light that shone brightly. My mind was the one thing that could not be destroyed. I was leased to gangs, made to do ographic movies, forced abortions, leased out of nightclubs in our red light district and much more. I survived, and give back to help other survivors of this." The extraordinary powerful story of Gloria's journey from darkness into light is one of hope, resilience and the unrelenting power of the human spirit to survive.