We need to talk about how families and churches handle rape and molestation — not in whispers, not in secrecy, but in truth.
Because the way these issues are often handled has left lifelong wounds on people who deserved protection.
Some families have mastered the art of sweeping trauma under the carpet.
Some churches have perfected the language of covering sin instead of confronting it.
And in the middle of these two institutions that are supposed to protect…
children have been wounded, silenced, and abandoned.
At FAMILY level:
Too many girls were told,
“Don’t embarrass the family.”
“Forgive him, he is still your uncle.”
“We can’t send him to jail, what will people say?”
Too many boys were told,
“Are you sure?”
“Why didn’t you fight back?”
“Men don’t get abused.”
When a child is told to keep quiet, do you know what they learn?
They learn to hide their pain.
They learn to doubt their instincts.
They learn that their body doesn’t belong to them.
They learn that family reputation matters more than their healing.
Some are now adults still trying to untangle wounds they were forced to carry in silence.
At CHURCH level:
Let’s be honest —
some churches have protected abusers in the name of “grace”
and abandoned victims in the name of “order.”
Victims are told:
“Let’s handle it internally.”
“Don’t bring shame to the ministry.”
“Hush, and let God deal with it.”
Meanwhile, the one who caused the harm continues serving, preaching, leading —
while the victim sits in the same environment that wounded them, unable to breathe.
This is not grace.
This is negligence disguised as spirituality.
Grace does not cover crime.
Grace does not silence victims.
Grace does not protect predators.
Grace walks with the wounded — not the one who wounded them.
Let me make this clear:
Rape is not a misunderstanding.
Molestation is not a “family issue.”
Abuse is not a spiritual weakness.
It is a CRIME.
A crime that needs reporting.
A crime that needs accountability.
A crime that needs justice.
Prayer is healing — yes.
Forgiveness is biblical — yes.
But justice is also biblical.
Counselling is necessary.
Believing a child is holy work.
To every family and church leader reading this:
You cannot protect the image of the family or the church while destroying the soul of a child.
You cannot silence stories that heaven itself heard.
You cannot bury trauma and expect people to magically recover.
We owe the next generation better.
We owe survivors justice.
We owe children protection.
We owe truth the courage to speak.
Let’s build homes and churches where wounds are not covered — they are cared for.
Where victims are not silenced — they are supported.
Where predators are not sheltered — they are stopped.
Because healing begins the moment someone is finally believed.