'For three months I suffered from hysterical paralysis.'Īn estimated one in four girls and one in seven boys will be sexually assaulted or abused before the age of 18, according to the Alabama-based National Children's Advocacy Center. 'Around 10 years old, I started to get this unbelievable feeling of dread that if I don't get out I am going to die from the decadence, the debauchery, the forced molestations and the beatings that became more severe,' he said. Often, they prey on daughters, but more frequently their sons - who report increased feelings of isolation and sexual confusion along with thoughts of suicide.īoth of Milligan's parents are now dead, but his past still haunts him. One of the unspeakable secrets in the world of child sexual abuse is that mothers can be molesters. It was so horrendous for me to believe she actually would do this to me.' 'Back then I would never tell anyone, not even a sibling,' said Milligan, the most 'compliant and sensitive' of three children living at home.
