Child sexual abuse is wings plucked from a butterfly. It is being watched as you crawl in the dirt by the ones who kicked you there. The impacts are lifelong, but a better response to victims and survivors helps to ‘unshame’ us. And until we live in a world where justice is a given, 'unshaming' is the sort of thing that changes lives for the better.

This is not a blog to debate whether or not survivors of child sexual abuse within the family should or shouldn't cut off all contact with their families. It’s a post to acknowledge that neither decision is an easy one. Both come with challenges - mainly a huge amount of sadness or grief - and distressing memories that feel particularly unfair during times like Christmas.

"Can I let go of what others think of me? What would that be like? Has there ever been a time when I did not bounce off of other’s opinions?" What Others Think - a poem by John Baker (The Flying Child guest blog)