Anne Mcculloch

Poems by a Mother: to Raise Awareness of the Impact of Child Sexual Abuse on the Survivors and Their Families Anne Mcculloch

In searching for support for her children and herself, the author talked to child sexual abuse professionals and many "other mothers" whose children had been abused. She found that her family's experiences were shared by many other families and that they all felt isolated and alone. They shared many dilemmas and questions. They shared the feelings of shock, horror, fear, guilt, grief and panic. They shared the difficulties of how to tell friends and family and often the trauma of going to court. They shared the frustration at other perception of sexual abuse and the ways that offenders often "excuse" their behavior. These poems were therapeutic for the author and written to explain her own feelings and dilemmas but also to support other mothers and their children. They hope to raise public and professional awareness of the scale of child sexual abuse, to show how difficult it may be for children to disclose and the damage that is caused to the children, adult survivors and the people who care for them.