When a Child Can’t Say the Words
People like to imagine that harm only happens in “bad homes,” “dangerous neighborhoods,” or behind locked doors. It’s comforting to believe that. It makes the world feel predictable. But that’s not how it works. My own incident didn’t happen in a dark room or at the hands of a stranger. It happened in front of people. In a place where I should have been safe. And it wasn’t an adult—it was another kid. A kid who knew exactly how to cross a line while everyone else looked away. No one stepped in. No one asked if I was okay. No one even seemed to register what was happening. Except one person. One voice that finally said, “Stop.” That moment taught me something I didn’t have the words for then: harm doesn’t follow stereotypes. It doesn’t wait for privacy. It doesn’t require an adult perpetrator. And silence—whether from confusion, discomfort, or denial—can be just as damaging as the act itself. What Adults Often Miss Experts say that children rarely disclose harm directly. The...