RAINN SPEAKERS BUREAU-

Published Newsletter Article

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13-Year-Old Puts Dad Behind Bars

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Last spring, a 13-year old girl named Ter-rae read an article in Seventeen magazine about a girl whose brother molested her. Ter-rae was afraid of admitting she was also being molested, but the girl in Seveteen got help and seemed happier after she told someone.  The article mentioned the National Sexual Assault Hotline, so she called to get advice about how to tell her mom that her father was abusing her.  He was recently sentenced to prison for incest.  

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 Ter-rae, now a member of our speakers bureau, tells readers how she was helped by the hotline and her local rape treatment program in the August issue of Seveteen.  "I felt like I'd done something wrong and was being punished, and I was afraid that if I told, my dad would hate me and my mom would blame herself.  When I saw the RAINN number in Seventeen, I called and asked, "How do I tell my mom that my dad's been molesting me?"  The next day I confronted my dad on the phone while the DA listened.  He was arrested, and now I know it wasn't my fault."

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 For the magazine, Ter-rae participated in an art therapy project, and was asked to design anything that inspired her at the moment.  Ter-rae chose the National Sexual Assualt Hotline number as the focal point of her painting.  Her mother was touched by this and said, "I didn't even know that she still remembered the number!  If it was not for your organization and resources, my daughter might still be carrying this awful secret."

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 Ter-rae's family is healing from their trauma and moving on with their lives, including a fresh start in a new place.