Survivors of childhood sexual assault raise awareness Follow Us
Question of the Day By CHRIS SUAREZ and The Richmond Times-Dispatch - Associated Press - Sunday, April 18, 2021
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - When Fatima M. Smith and two of her friends told parents and police that their cheerleading coach had sexually abused them, they were ostracized by the families of their teammates.
Years later, in high school, that experience - the death threats, name-calling and testifying in a court trial where their coach was acquitted - made her feel like she shouldn’t say anything about the boyfriend who had raped her.