Former Miss America Marilyn Van Derbur Speaks Out On Child Abuse

“ .. I’m in touch with more adult survivors than anyone else in America, and we’ve all felt that shame in ourselves — that if people know, we will no longer be respected or admired,” she said .. her message to her fellow survivors is that they should shift their perspective from shame to pride. “It took me 53 years to understand that I didn’t do anything wrong,” she said. “We talk a lot about how we protect our children, and how to teach them that their bodies are their own,” .. The other message is that it’s rarely the “stranger in the park” who is the perpetrator. “Almost always, we are violated by someone we trust,” she said. “Part of my mission is also to say that it happens in the nicest homes .. "

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