Victim says child abuse a life sentence

AUSTRALIA
news.com.au

MARCH 30, 2017

Megan Neil
Australian Associated Press

If the scars of child sexual abuse were visible, Shelly Braieoux believes she would be in a wheelchair with missing limbs and horribly deformed with burns and scars.

Instead, Ms Braieoux and other child abuse survivors carry scars that cannot be seen and fight “a lifelong invisible war”.

The damage is catastrophic, Ms Braieoux told the child abuse royal commission via telephone from her Queensland home after ex-tropical cyclone Debbie prevented her being in Sydney for Thursday’s hearing.

“Even though we may have physically survived, we have been sentenced to a torturous life sentence full of unnumbered battles.”

Ms Braieoux was ostracised and silenced from speaking about the abuse to anyone, receiving no support from the unnamed religion, her family or friends.

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