Actor Kushboo Sundar who was recently appointed as the member of the National Commission for Women has revealed that she was physically and sexually abused by her father when she was a young child. During a conference organised by a leading portal, Kushboo said that the toughest thing, which took her a long time to forgive and forget, was the abuse she faced by her father when she was a child.
“I think the toughest thing, which took me long not to forget and forgive, but put behind me and move forward was the abuse I faced by my father as a child. I think when a child is abused, it scars the child for life and it's not about a girl or a boy. My mother has been through the most abusive marriage and a man who probably thought it was his birthright to beat up his wife, his children and sexually abuse his daughter,” she said, adding that her abuse started when she was eight years old.
According to her, she got the courage to speak against him when she turned 15. “I think by then I had reached a stage when I had to stand up against him,” she said and stated that the fear that her family members, including her mother and brothers would be abused more, kept her from revealing the truth.
“I also had that fear that my mother would not believe me as I have seen her in that environment where she believes that husband is God despite the troubles. At 15, I started rebelling against him, when I decided it was enough. He left us and went. We didn't know where the next meal would come from. I got that courage because I was confident about myself,” she said. She added that she was glad he was not part of her life as she could not have reached this far, if he had been. “If I could fight against a man at home, I could manage the world very easily,” she signs off.
