CANADA
The London Free Press
By Randy Richmond, The London Free Press
Friday, October 10, 2014
For years, John Swales battled social service agencies over how they treat men.
Next week, he’ll realize a long-held dream, built with the help of those agencies: A place for men.
“Something along the way had to shift. I decided to do my part and shift a bit,” said Swales, an outspoken sexual abuse survivor.
D4Men — Destination for Men — launches Thursday at the Goodwill Centre conference room. …
Swales and his brothers were sexually abused by Roman Catholic priest Barry Glendinning in the 1970s. That began a long struggle with alcohol and drug abuse that led Swales into prostitution and trouble with the law.
Swales successfully sued the Catholic church, but continued to fight what he saw as discrimination against male survivors. That battle peaked in 2010, when the province announced $2.2-million for male survivors that prompted competition for the dollars from some of the same agencies that Swales felt ignored his and other survivors’ troubles.
After the tempest eased, leaders of London social agencies and Swales struck a truce that has led to an increasingly friendly collaboration on several projects, including D4Men.
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