For years, Ann Jennings tried to figure out what was wrong with her daughter, Anna. The happy toddler who liked to giggle and give hugs turned into an angry, emotional mess at age 3. She sobbed loudly for no reason. In photos, she distanced herself from her siblings and stood alone, a small scowl on her face.
Only decades later did Jennings learn that Anna had been abused by three men, including a teenage relative. Convinced she had been punished for being bad, Anna told no one.
"My daughter, Anna, couldn't cope," Jennings said during a mental health conference at University of South Florida in Tampa.
The lecture, titled "The Many Faces of Trauma," drew more than 200 educators, parents and mental health professions Friday. Dozens more were turned away from the crowded room. In a community overwhelmed with recent tales of childhood sexual abuse, people came out in droves to understand what it all meant.
Last month, the area was rocked by the suicide of John Bryan. The St. Petersburg City Council member had been accused of molesting two of his adopted daughters.
Then there were the cases that didn't make the front page of the newspaper over the past six months, including the St. Petersburg man accused of molesting a mentally disabled boy and a New Port Richey man charged with molesting a 5-year-old girl.
Long after the legal system decides how to handle the predator, Jennings said, the child's pain remains. The victim wants to know "What's wrong with me?".
The question follows the young victims into adulthood, clouding their self-perception, said Jennings. The results: More than 51 percent of mental health clients are victims of childhood sexual abuse, and more than 80 percent of adults diagnosed with borderline personality disorder were abused as children.
"This is a public health crisis," she said.
Children need to be taught what to say if someone is violating them, she said. And if they are abused, they need to know that it isn't their fault..
Nearly 30 years after her daughter was first abused, Anna decided she couldn't take it any more. At 32, she killed herself.
"I have collapsed weeping with the guilt I have felt," Jennings said. "The thing is, if you don't put it out there, it just gets worse. ...The silence will continue."
Cristina Silva can be reached at 727 893-8846 or
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'Fast facts '
'Talk to your child'
Mental health professionals recommend you talk to your child about sexual abuse. In many cases, sexual predators are relatives or friends who know the child. For more information on child abuse, check out www.theannainstitute.org or www.nctsn.org.
