LisaB
Well-Known Member
My 14 year old niece was drugged and raped by my ex-husband. There was never a single doubt for me that she was telling the truth. Her mom (my ex-husband's sister) and I supported her as best we could in pursuing charges against my ex, maybe because we were both once victims of SA ourselves. Meanwhile, his mother - her grandmother - said my niece had been dressing and acting too provocatively. My ex was 43 years old at the time - how is it a 14 year old girl's responsibility to control the actions of a grown man? She trusted him and expected him to protect her - after all, this was the guy who'd changed her diapers and rocked her to sleep - who'd been through everything in life with her so far. My ex plead guilty - in a way, we were relieved because my niece wasn't required to testify - but his mother, her grandmother, still insists he only plead guilty to avoid a harsher sentence. She visits him in prison often.
Meanwhile, my once beautiful, strong niece has all but been destroyed. Her life is riddled by drugs, violence, and chaos. She was sentenced to life - her rapist gets released this year.
My daughter was 8 when her stepfather began molesting her, but otherwise, your niece sounds like my daughter, who is now 23.
There needs to be a way to get through to these girls. So many of them, your niece and my daughter included, seem lost forever. I am sure you want your niece back as much as I want Lauren back.