COLUMBUS, Ohio — Sexual abuse may happen more often than you think.
According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, one in four girls and one in six boys are sexually abused before 18, and more than 80% of those survivors know their abusers.
What You Need To Know
- Cathy Studer shares her story of being sexually abused many years ago as a child
- Today Studer brings awareness to sexual assault through her involvement in EndCan and her book ‘Broken to Beautifully Whole’
- If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, call RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673
It’s a reality that Cathy Studer knows.
“I never told anyone. My shame was too great,” said Studer said.
It began one night when she was only six years old.
“I had just gotten for Easter a big green, fluffy bunny,” she said. “And in my mind, he would protect me from any nighttime monsters that might come underneath the bed.”
That night later turn into her worse nightmare, and, unfortunately, her favorite stuffed bunny couldn’t be her knight in shining armor.
“The monster did come,” said Studer. “But it did not come from underneath the bed. The monster was my stepfather, and that night, he started sexual abusing me at age six.”
But the abuse wasn’t over. It dragged on for six more years, and Studer kept quiet, not even telling her mother. That is until her mother found suspicious letters, and something didn’t sit right.
“It ended on New Year’s Eve night,” said Studer. “My mom and stepdad had an argument, and after my stepdad left the bedroom, my mom had a sixth sense to go look into my stepfather’s wallet, and she found the letters he made me write, and he made me write down what he was going to do to me before he would punish me.”
Since her nightmare had finally ended, Studer knew she couldn’t remain silent.
Many years later, as a hairstylist, she decided, while cutting hair, to go public with her story.
“I had a client and one day in my chair, she shared that she had been sexually abused as a child,” Studer said. “At the end of our conversation, she looked at me square in the eye and said ‘Girlfriend, you need to write a book.’”
Since then, Studer has written a book called ‘Broken to Beautifully Whole’, telling the story of her struggles and how she found healing.
Today, she continues advocating for other survivors through her involvement in Turning Point Domestic Violence Shelter and EndCan—The National Foundation to End Child Abuse and Neglect.
Though Studer can’t take back her past, she’s now living a different story: helping other survivors, while sharing a message of hope.
“I would want every single survivor to know. Number one, I believe you. You deserve a voice. You deserve to be heard. You deserve to be defended, and above all, you are worth healing.”
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you can call RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.
