Pamela Anderson: Another Sexual Abuse Survivor Speaks Up

          Pamela Anderson has always been on the side of the underdog -- the animal kingdom who can’t speak up for themselves against the cruel actions of humans.  Now, she has become a spokesperson for another silent-for-way-too-long underdog -- the countless children victimized by sexual abuse.

            “My affinity with animals saved me,” Ms. Anderson revealed at a beach-party- backgammon-tournament fundraiser for the charity Cool Earth.  Being half-Finnish, and having only met a handful of Finnish-Americans in my entire lifetime, my “af- Finn- ity” for the stunning actress happened years ago when I learned of her Finnish ancestry. I have since been a great fan of hers.

            It took a great deal of courage for the Baywatch beauty to reveal the nature of her childhood abuse, but what we keep hidden will destroy us, and what we bring forth will heal us, and I hope her public revelations help her on the long road to recovery.   I am sure that she -- and so many of the readers of this blog -- will think that Ms. Anderson and her childhood sexual abuse experience represents a silent minority of people who inhabit this earth, but if we were to have an International Stand-up If You’ve Been Sexually Abused Day, the staggering number of people who, if they were courageous enough to stand-up and be counted, would shock the hell out of all of us.

            Ms. Anderson kindly defended her parents and doesn't blame them for not noticing or stopping what was happening to her, but it seemed that they were too busy or too preoccupied with their own problems to notice that their young daughter was being sexually abused.

            Sadly, these horrific, sexual crimes committed against her went unpunished. Often children are too afraid to speak up, or as Ms. Anderson pointed out, she was just trying to shield her unhappy and overworked mother from the truth, because she stated, “I couldn’t break her heart anymore than it was breaking.”

            As busy working parents, we are often too stressed out and too busy to pick up on the signals our children may be giving us that something is amiss in their lives.  We need to talk with our children and be cognizant of behavioral changes in them that can reveal something is awry in their lives.  For instance, a normally outgoing, happy child becomes distant and withdrawn, or, a child begins having sleeping and eating disorders.  Other signs of sexual abuse might be: an excessive concern with cleanliness, including excessive bathing, anxiety and/or depression, cutting themselves, self-destructive behaviors, and suicidal tendencies.

            I, for one, applaud Ms. Anderson for her efforts to protect those being on this planet that can’t speak up for themselves and for reminding us all to: watch the children.

Cindi Sansone-Braff is the author of Why Good People Can’t Leave Bad Relationships and Grant Me a Higher Love.  Visit her web site at: www.grantmeahigherlove.com.