Dad gets 5 months in jail for sexually assaulting daughter (Australia)

UNNAMED DAD. Notice that the daughter informed the "family doctor, school counsellor and church leaders,"  but nothing happened. Typical. But did she inform her mother?

Oh. There is no mention of a mother anywhere in this account. What happened to the mother? Was there a mother in this home? If not, what happened to her?

http://www.news.com.au/national-news/south-australia/sex-abuse-survivor-ana-monteropugin-tells-her-story-for-white-balloon-day-to-support-child-safety/story-fnii5yv4-1226710532799

Sex abuse survivor Ana Montero-Pugin tells her story for White Balloon Day to support child safety

by: Chief Court Reporter Sean Fewster
From: The Advertiser
September 04, 2013 1:26PM

WHEN she was 12, Ana Montero-Pugin read a library book about sexual abuse and learned her father's way of "showing affection" was actually a crime. "My way of confronting my father was to throw that book at him and walk away," Ms Montero-Pugin, now 42, told News Limited this week.

"The abuse stopped and, after that, there was pretty much no speaking about it - but it affected the rest of my life."

Ms Montero-Pugin is telling her story of abuse, trauma and triumph for the first time to promote White Balloon Day this Friday.

Hundreds of schools, day care centres, businesses and councils around Australia will join with child protection group Bravehearts to raise awareness of sex abuse and its consequences.

Fundraising events will be held, and white balloons tied to buildings, doors and letterboxes to promote open discussion of abuse and predators between children and adults.

Research shows that, annually, 59,000 Australian children are abused before their 18th birthday - and 85 per cent of those by a relative or trusted friend.

Ms Montero-Pugin said that, prior to finding the book, she had no idea her father's actions constituted abuse.

She said she told her family doctor, school counsellor and church leaders about her father's crimes but was "either not believed or ignored". "

Child abuse isn't like a car crash, where you know something has gone wrong and you have been injured," she said.

"It's something that seems normal to some victims, a part of day-to-day life for others and a taboo subject for adults.

"That's why awareness campaigns are so important - schools spend a lot of time teaching 'stranger danger', but it can and does happen with people you trust."

After years of relationship difficulties and emotional turmoil, Ms Montero-Pugin filed charges against her father - he pleaded guilty and was jailed for five months.

"Watching him go to jail, I had extremely mixed emotions - he's still my father," she said.

"Being a victim of sexual abuse is, in some ways, worse than being orphaned because you've lost your parent through betrayal.

"Your father is still alive but he's the one who betrayed you, despite being the person who should have loved and protected you the most."

She said she had chosen to shun anonymity to encourage other victims to come forward.

"Being named humanises this, makes it real, makes it something people can't ignore," she said.

"I have nothing to be ashamed of and I've nothing to hide ... I have taken the cloak of blame off my shoulders and handed it to my father so he can take responsibility for what he has done."

Bravehearts founder Hetty Johnston said White Balloon Day was a symbol of hope for survivors of "devastating crime".

"It's about encouraging kids to come forward and break the silence, while we raise the necessary funds to ensure vital support networks and programs can continue," she said.

"Silence, secrecy and shame are the sex offender's best friends and the child's worst enemies."