A good book is hard to put down, but the best ones don't always have "good" topics.
I have been completely engrossed with a new book lately, "The Brothers Krimm," and although it touches on some pretty unsavoury subjects, I can't seem to put it down.
The book focuses on two brothers who were victims of abuse; one makes a good life for himself, while the other turns to a life of crime.
For some of us the thought of one brother molesting another is completely unthinkable, but it may not be as unusual as we may think. In 82 percent of sexual assault cases the perpetrator is someone the victim knows. The perpetrator is a family member in almost one third of cases, and most of the time the assault is happening right in the victims own home.
Victims of sexual assault are left with physical and emotional scars. From verbal harassment and intimidation to molestation and rape, this crime occurs far too often, going unreported an estimated 80 percent of the time for women and even more for men.
I was touched by the courage it took for the book's hero to finally admit that his brother had abused him. It may have taken him over a decade to tell someone but once he did, the healing finally began and the shame and humiliation started to dissipate.
Part of him had even feared that he would be considered homosexual for allowing the abuse to happen, but the threat of violence from the older boy was too much to bear. With counselling, he began to accept that he was not to blame for the abuse he endured.
The counselling helped him develop new strategies to empower himself and helped him move on to build healthy, positive and loving relationships with his mother and wife-to-be.
Anyone who has been a victim of sexual assault can reach out to the local Envision Counselling and Support Centre for help. Envision also has a 24-Hour Sexual Assault/Abuse Support Line that can help members of the community who have been touched by sexual abuse or family violence. The telephone number is: 1-800-214-7083.
The community is invited to attend Envision's annual Walk Against Violence (WAV) on May 5. Those who want to show their support for victims of abuse and Envision can meet at 7 p.m. at the Grace United Church.
