Documentary Brings to Light the Realities of Childhood Sexual Abuse

Although kept in the shadows, child sexual abuse is a prevalent crime in our society that causes permanent emotional and psychological damage to it’s victims. In 2002, approximately 15-33% of females and 13-16% of males were abused by the age of 18 in the United States, according to a survey by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The exact incidence, of course, may be much higher given the fear, shame and memory repression that often keeps victims from reporting their crime. 

One local organization, the Survivors Healing Center, has been offering support for victims of childhood sexual abuse in Santa Cruz since 1987. On Saturday, February 19, they will host a one-time screening of a documentary called Boyhood Shadows at the Nickelodeon Theater. The documentary, directed by Terri DeBono and Steve Rosen, addresses male childhood sexual abuse specifically, and follows the true life story of Glenn, whose life was permanently altered by a sexual predator when he was ten years old. An estimated 60% of child sexual abuse cases are unreported, and Glenn, severely threatened to not tell a soul, kept silent. 

The documentary follows the 48 year old Glenn Kulik as he confronts his past and finally speaks up, after decades of escaping his pain and shame with drugs, alcohol and sex addiction and eventually ending up living on the streets. Kulik's family members also participate in the documentary, and talk about how they knew something had gone wrong but they never knew exactly what it was.  Kulik now runs a sober-living facility in Los Angelos, and his openess to share his story is inspiring and empowering for victims, allies, and everyone who watches it.

Heart wrenching and infuriorating, Boyhood Shadows takes the human mind into a tragic reality that is kept in the shadows. Although it may draw tears, the film is riddled with a sense of empowerment and an ultimately uplifting message. It is also riddled with the experiences of twenty other grown men who are confronting sexual abuse they experienced as young boys and kept secret into adulthood. 

Shockingly, Boyhood Shadows reveals that one in six boys in the United States is molested by the age of 16, and leaves the viewer with the realization that indeed, the societal focus is placed on the predator—whether or not he or she has been brought to justice, where and why they did what they did—and less on the young victims whose lives have been taken away from them.

It is estimated that the sexual predator molests an average or 117 children, and it is often extremely difficult to convict a predator. The children who have been victimized are under great risk of cognitive disorders of low self-esteem and self-blame which often lead to addiction and self destructive behaviors. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder also runs higher in adults who were abused as children, as does an increase in emotional distress like depression, anxiety and anger problems. The film is a powerful, informative and well put-together piece of work that brings to light a reality that should not be shrouded in silence any longer. 

The Survivor’s Healing Center is now offering an ongoing cycle of twelve-week therapy groups. The groups meet once weekly in a closed session with 6-7 other individuals. The intensive therapy groups have been effective in helping individuals find healing through the support of others who have had to live with the secret pain of childhood sexual abuse.

The therapy groups are priced on a sliding scale, and are offered at various times and with various focuses, such as epxressive arts, Latina Groups, Lesbian-Bisexual-Transgender and a group for young girls. There is also a therapy group session in Watsonville and bilingual groups. Call 831-423-7601 for more information and to pre-register.

Boyhood Shadows will screen at the Nickelodean Theatre. Doors open at 10:45am. Tickets are $15 in advance, $10 for students, and 420 at the door. To purchase tickets in advance, go to: http://brownpapertickets.com/event/144881 or call 1-800-838-3006

The Survivors Healing Center is at 104 Walnut Avenue, Suite 201.