After Nettavisen recently released the article about Jørgen Hansen, who was sexually abused as a child, statements of support came from readers. He has also been contacted by other people who have been abused.
In this very powerful video interview, you can see Jørgen himself telling what it does to a person to be raped as a child:
You can see the rest of the video interview with Jørgen further down in this issue.
– The good thing about all this is that I often felt alone for what I experienced and only as a person. But after I come out with this, I feel like there is so much love out there. I am seen and heard with understanding and respect. I really appreciate it. Thank you all for the feedback, says Jørgen Hansen at Nettavisen.
The 39-year-old told Nettavisen that he was regularly raped from the age of three to the age of 12. The man who allegedly raped him was convicted by the Oslo district court, but denies his guilt and appealed the case. Jørgen talked about the psychological wounds he still has to contend with, but also how he learned to live with his story.
Nobody noticed anything
After Nettavisen published the article, the statements of support came both through Nettavisen, but also directly to Jørgen. He has also been contacted by other people who have been abused.
– Receiving messages from people who have life experience, who take their conditions and those of others seriously, has been good for me. Imagine there are so many others who feel like me, says Jørgen.
– We should have been better at talking about difficult things in everyday life. Have the courage to ask us if we are okay. Dare to answer, even the difficult questions. Don’t have to pretend we’re fine, says Jørgen.
For many years, no one around Jørgen knew that a man close to him had regularly raped him for much of his childhood.
– Many of my mother’s friends have contacted and apologized for not seeing it, and they are sorry. I don’t hold a grudge against any of them. Nobody saw anything; neither at school nor among my mother’s friends. Nobody noticed that something was wrong, says Jørgen. Jørgen’s mother died today.
Here is the second part of the video interview with Jørgen Hansen:
– They suffered a lot because of me
The feedback also made Jørgen think that what happened to him affected not only him, but also those closest to him. Then he thinks above all of his ex-wife and children, who for many years lived with a father and husband who couldn’t stand his dark feelings. Today, his ex-wife and his children are Jørgen’s strongest supporters. Although the marriage did not last, his ex-wife is an invaluable support for him today.
– They suffered a lot because of me. For many years I have not been able to be there for the children. I had had enough of trying to deal with my problems alone. The ex-wife noticed that there was something. There was something behind it, but every time she started asking, I froze, says Jørgen.
Only in 2016 did he tell his ex-wife what happened to him in his childhood. Since then, she has been his biggest supporter and when Jørgen met the assailant in the district court, she sat in the courtroom with him every day.
– When today you know how people receive you when you say: Do you regret not having said this before?
– No, I can’t think like that. This was my trial and I wasn’t ready to talk about it until I did it. It has to come naturally in connection with the treatment process. For several years, various psychologists have been trying to insinuate themselves into my skin, without my knowledge, says Jørgen.
You can learn more about what made him open in the video interviews in this case.
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