At Long Last, Progress

[Kizzie]

I was just reading the news on CBC (Canada) and one of the headlines was "Man sentenced to 25 years for 'horrendous' sexual abuse after survivors spoke out".  It was 30 years ago and the perpetrator got 25 years. Further, the two siblings who were the victims chose to reveal their identities so others might summon up the courage to speak out. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/thomas-butler-sexual-abuse-sentencing-9.7148819

Here's part of the article:

Following a trial in Manitoba provincial court last year, Thomas Martin Butler was convicted of more than a dozen offences that happened from 1994 to 1998.

The case was unusual because the victims, siblings Raven-Dominique and Jeffery Gobeil, opted not to request a standard publication ban on their names, allowing themselves to be publicly identified as survivors of sexual assault.

Raven-Dominique, now a lawyer focused on child welfare and First Nations law, and her brother Jeffery, a social worker and comedian, said it was important to them to be able to speak publicly about the case.

"It would not have made sense to me to go through this as being anonymous," Raven-Dominique said. "I understand why people would do it. It has been a lot. But if it helps other people draw courage, then it was worth it, in my opinion."

[Marcine]

Such inspirational courage on so many levels.
Thank you for sharing this, Kizzie.

[Blueberry]

I read that too yesterday on CBC. First Nation children and so young when the abuse started, and look what they've made of their lives! Obviously in careers where they can do a lot of good in society, besides opting for non-anonymity in this case.
Sounds like huge post-traumatic growth to me.

[Kizzie]

Exactly BB, so many of us end up in professions where we can change things and help victims. These siblings had a double whammy of being First Nation and children when it all happened, but it also sounds like they had each other. Sadly, not all of us have siblings we can lean on because our abusers play one off against the other(s). That's what happened in my family. My B became an N because he was an athlete and brought status to our family so he could do no wrong.

Anyway, I loved that these two managed to survive and even thrive from the sounds of it. 

[Blueberry]

Yup, they survived and are thriving!

I know a lot of us get no support or only strings-attached support like I do from my sibs. But actually these sibs could have been played off against each other and maybe were because part of the abuse was being forced to do it to each other, (source other CBC link) but somehow it either didn't have that affect on them or they healed that part   Could be partly First Nation healing methods and spiritual beliefs, which are different from the standard Euro-centric and coloniser-centric culture most of us grow up in Could say more, don't want to derail thread. Hope no one's offended.

Also sounds as if for whatever reason they both decided to heal instead of shovelling under the carpet etc and were enough on the same page to see each other as allies.


Whatever the reasons huge kudos to them! It's wonderful to read about them, both from the perspective of child CSA survivor and my impression of so many desperately hurting and traumatised members of Canada's First Nations. IMHO

[Kizzie]