Dear Friend,
Trigger warning: Descriptions of sexual violence
“When my wife was 21 and in her senior year of college, she reluctantly accepted a date from her supervisor at work. She was young and naïve and was afraid that if she said no, it would negatively impact her job and any hope for future recommendations.
During the date, when she was not looking, her supervisor drugged her drink and proceeded to violently rape her – resulting in her being pregnant. She was scared and all her dreams were shattered as she struggled to complete her degree while having a newborn baby.
Because she was scared, she again reluctantly agreed to marry her abuser, who said “he would take responsibility.” She then lived through four more years of living hell, as she found out he was a pornography addict, a serial adulterer, and a sexually abusive husband. When his abuse started to turn to their daughter, my wife got them both out of their apartment and she filed for divorce.
While she will always carry the scars of her abuse and she was never to realize her professional dreams, my wife now has an incredible ministry counseling young women.
It is because of the rape and abuse that my wife suffered that I feel called to stand against sexual abuse and exploitation.”
- Craig Osten, Interim Director of Advancement and Strategic Partnerships, National Center on Sexual Exploitation
