I am speaking up about something I carried for years because I was scared, ashamed, and trying to survive. I was 12 at my sister's house, asleep on the living room couch, when I felt a rough hand on me and realized it was not my sister. I remember freezing, feeling his breath on my neck, being too scared to even walk to the bathroom, and sleeping in my own urine because I thought if I moved he would come back. Later, it did not stop. It escalated, and when I was 13, he raped me.

What happened to me did not happen one time, and it did not only happen to me. I will not say who else it happened to but I will just say another family member.That is why this cannot be brushed off as one survivor's memory or one family's private pain. When multiple people come forward about abuse in a family setting, our system should not look away, minimize it, or leave survivors carrying the burden alone for years.

I am calling on local police and prosecutors to reopen Jane Doe abuse cases and fully investigate survivor reports, including patterns of abuse involving minors, delayed disclosure, and multiple survivors in the same family or household. Survivors should be able to give statements in trauma-informed settings, and investigators should take seriously the reality that fear, shame, and family pressure keep children silent. Accountability cannot depend on whether a child was able to speak up immediately.

If you believe survivors deserve to be heard with care and taken seriously when they come forward, please sign this petition. If you have ever wondered why someone waited years to speak, my story is why. We need a system that responds to abuse with urgency, dignity, and real action.