Fighting Words

Child sexual abuse is such a dark topic that it is taboo to discuss it openly. Society often maintains an “out of sight, out of mind” approach, which invalidates the lived experiences of survivors and places stigma upon them. Survivors who tell their stories are walking proof that child sexual abuse is real, and those who refuse to acknowledge and confront the issue react with disbelief or judgment.

Della first experiences the stigma of abuse the night she and Suki escape Clifton’s home after he sexually assaults her. When they are placed with their emergency foster placement, the woman does not believe Suki and Della. The woman, whom Della refers to as “Nasty woman,” calls Della and Suki’s account of the events “accusations.” When Suki insists that she is protecting Della, the woman says, “How do I know what’s true?” (44). This makes Della realize that people “[don’t want to hear” the truth of what happened to them (44), which hinders their ability to heal. By not being able to share their story without fear of not being believed, Suki and Della cannot confront their trauma in a healthy way, which contributes to Della’s anger and teaches Suki that she cannot trust anyone to help her shoulder her burdens.