ABOUT
Gina Gonzales who has lived experiences of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is founding Director of RELEASE into Victory Community Interest Company established in 2013 in Preston.
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The trauma inflicted on Gina as a young child by the perpetrator, meant that she lived in fear the secret of being discovered, the messages given that the abuse was her fault and that she would be in serious trouble if her family or teachers found out.
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The negative Impact of CSA on the child does not end in childhood , emotional trauma inflicted by this heinous crime can lead to profound and long lasting effects on mental health. Gina struggled with all areas of child development, particularly associated with school work.
Gina’s mental health continued to decline into her adulthood, she struggled to form healthy relationships, attempts to speak out about the abuse to her family proved futile, they chose, which is often the case, to look the other way, leaving her isolated without support networks.
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Gina Gonzales
FOUNDER - RELEASE INTO VICTORY
​Gina began her journey of healing and recovery in her early 20’s, receiving therapy which would continue on and off for many years. Although therapy did help, Gina realised that on many occasions, she felt the need to speak to someone who had personal knowledge of this issue, the urge to offload, to receive empathy and understanding.
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It was this realization that compelled Gina to establish a local, accessible support service for male/females with Lived Experiences of CSA, the aim being to reach out to survivors providing, opportunities to meet others who had experienced the trauma of sexual abuse.