When I was eight years old, a parent from the YMCA reported concerns about my swim coach to law enforcement. This parent’s suspicions were correct ― I was being sexually abused by a predatory coach. My perpetrator had rendered my family dependent on him after he moved into my childhood home under the guise of helping my newly divorced mother. He found numerous ways to isolate me, taking me to travel meets alone, providing nearly all of my transportation to swim practice and babysitting when my mom was at work. Acquaintances described him as “touchy-feely” and many remarked on how quickly he could gain the trust of children.
Unfortunately, my encounter at that time with law enforcement did not result in his arrest.
Decades later, I came to terms with this abuseand reported my perpetrator to the police. The charges, guilty plea and sentencing were all covered by news media. When I ran into people who knew me as a child, they invariably said, “We knew this guy wasn’t right.” Others even said, “I hate to say it, but I’m not surprised.”
[For more on this story by Dani Bostick, go to https://www.huffingtonpost.com...cc13e4b00549ac7d8090]
Comments (0)