Why Healing Is Hard For Adult Survivors Of Child Sex Abuse

adult, sad, memory
M Yashna / flickr
adult, sad, memory
M Yashna / flickr

Why Healing Is Hard For Adult Survivors Of Child Sex Abuse

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While he will spend time in prison, former House Speaker Dennis Hastert isn’t technically being punished for sexually abusing high school students when he was a wrestling coach decades ago. That’s due to the statute of limitations on those crimes. 

So, what will that mean for a sense of closure for his surviving victims? 

We use the Hastert case as a jumping-off point for a discussion with two guests about the challenges adult survivors of child sex abuse face and how the healing process can best work for them. 

MaryJo Barrett is director of the Center for Contextual Change, which specializes in treating survivors of sexual abuse and other trauma. Sharmili Majmudar is executive director of Rape Victim Advocates. We also open up the phones for questions and comments from listeners.