Justice
In society we are grown from a young person to believe that if we are harmed or even threatened that there is a natural recourse for this action under the premise of justice, that 'Law' will ensure retribution, order and balance will be retained.
What many sexual assault survivors have shared with me is that despite their own testimony, the incarceration of those proven guilty or perhaps as I understand now, many of those who never speak of their crime against their own humanity, despite it all the "prison" of the mind for shame, guilt, pain, aloneness is never resolved.
Here is the newspaper article published - http://www.theleader.com.au/story/4774057/boys-assaulted-on-church-camps-in-royal-national-park/?cs=1255
In Facebook today, which is an open public post I wrote:
"....31 years later, today, I was informed that 11 counts of sexual assault have been laid, bail refused by Police, seven counts for my case and four others. There is no 'get over it' rather I have come to live with the destruction that caused as a result in my life. I am a survivor not a 'victim' irrespective of what any legal institution may choose to call me. For those of you who stood by me together we walk forward, for those who chose to walk away because it was too hard to hear, too much to face, too busy to care well ..... no oxygen. My mission will never change from listening to, reaching out and helping those who stand up. May those who consider themselves exempt, treacherously powerful, wilfully perverted and outside of Justice...so you too will fall divided, not me."
In reply a person replied as follows.
Thank you Brian.
It is people like you who walk forward and who have great power in your ability to share your own empathy with others. For that, I am honored and greatly encouraged.
So, the purpose for my post tonight is to honour, respect, acknowledge, admire, love and embrace all of those of you who will never speak out against your perpetrators for whatever injustice you have encountered. This post is written to those who have the greatest fear of all that you will be abandoned, that your world will end, that you will lose everything you know if you do speak out against those who perpetrate sexual assault.
The reality is you MUST forgive, bring your case forward, pursue your own ethical position on this crime against humanity and hold to account those who have affected your life in this disastrous way. Those institutions you think will give you that peace will never resolve your case.
Those very same systems of supposed societal justice will only ever serve your purpose if you stand up and speak out against your crime and you must be kind to yourself, protect others and get motivated to live a life worth living. If you have the courage then go and write, speak and shout your #realstory to the world who are the only court who will ever bear witness to your feelings.
Please share my story - https://www.alexanderhayes.com/realstory/
