Published Dec. 2, 2005
Breaking the silence
Buried on page 4 in the Sports section of the Nov. 15 Anchorage Daily News is an article about sexual abuse.
Dave Boling, the sports opinion columnist who wrote the article, reports about a recent media event in Colorado Springs, Colo. At a press briefing, American Olympic speed skater Chris Witty disclosed that, in addition to training for the winter games in Turin, Italy, she has been working with a therapist to resolve problems stemming from her child sexual abuse by a trusted neighbor. The abuse began when she was 4 and ended when she was 11.
In the interview Witty is quoted as saying: "I just wanted to break the silence. Abuse of any kind thrives off secrecy. That’s why it continues. If I started talking about it, other people can talk about it."
She describes the empowering event that stopped the abuse. When she was 11 she saw a film at school that offered information about good touch and bad touch. It taught her a single word she had not realized she could say to an adult: "No."
She confronted the perpetrator, told him no, and he never abused her again. Unfortunately, he remained in the neighborhood and abused at least one other young girl. He is now in prison as a result of his crimes.
Witty is a gifted crossover athlete. She has competed in the Olympics not only in speed skating but in cycling as well. She has found an outlet in athletics that allows her to perform and achieve on the basis of competition.
Only after enormous success at the highest level of competition has she gained the self-confidence necessary to tell her story. She is doing so in hopes that she can turn the attention she receives as an Olympic competitor into an opportunity to break the silence and secrecy that allows abuse to continue.
She says that it has taken her 20 years to confront her past and deal with it constructively.
Witty is willing to undergo the pain and suffering involved in telling her story in hopes that it can help others who are not yet able to break the silence surrounding their abuse.
Breaking the silence is an important step toward healing. Congratulations to Chris Witty for her courage and determination in taking this step. Our prayers are with her.