Iyanla Vanzant appeared as a guest on “The Karen Hunter Show,” where they discussed the recent R. Kelly verdict and how victims of sexual abuse can heal from their trauma.
Hunter called the issue “an epidemic.” Vanzant agreed. She says that the trauma of Black girls and boys has gone overlooked for a long time.
Whether it’s in Chicago, Detroit, or someplace in Mississippi or New Orleans right now, some young person is being sexually violated… most often by somebody they know,” Says Vanzant.
“Some of it has to do with the fact that we aren’t always mindful and protective of our children. Particularly little girls. But now little boys also,” she continued.
“We’re not particularly protective. And we don’t hold people accountable, which is why this case is so important that he is being held accountable,” Vanzant says of Kelly. “Not punished but accountable for what he’s done. Now, that doesn’t change what happened. And the people who experienced the violation have a lot of work to do, you know, really have a lot of work to do right now.”
Vanzant acknowledged that we are all dealing with our own traumas. She says that the pandemic was particularly difficult for many victims of sexual abuse.
“We’re all traumatized on some level following this two and a half year lock up. But that level…, that trauma just triggers up all sorts of trauma. Many people who had been sexually violated had a really hard time during the shutdown because they weren’t able to go out and be busy and distract themselves and deny what’s going on. Many people were violated during the shutdown because many of us live with our violators.”
“The first thing is to really acknowledge knowledge that this thing goes on. I have worked with hundreds, literally hundreds, maybe even thousands of women –let me say ‘people’ because it’s happened to men too — who say they were violated.”
Vanzant says many of the victims were not believed or that nothing was done to hold the abusers accountable or protect them, which eventually caused them to be silent.
Watch the full video above.
