We begin this New Year with a much greater awareness within our communities than just a year ago about the frequency at which boys are subjected to unwanted or abusive sexual experiences. But perhaps even more importantly in terms of healing for those boys—and the men they become—in the past year, we’ve seen men speaking more openly about their efforts to overcome the harmful impacts of those childhood experiences. Every word that diminishes the sense of isolation and shame about abusive experiences, which many men have silently carried through their adult lives, potentially opens a door to recovery. As we enter 2013, we have a very different context for addressing sexual abuse of boys than ever before.

The courageous testimony from the men who were abused by Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky, though painful to hear, opened a floodgate of disclosures from men and women abused by individuals in positions of power – coaches, teachers, clergy and others. In recognition of the failures it made in addressing the clear signs of Sandusky’s abuse of boys in his care, Penn State has undertaken an intensive self assessment and consulted with numerous experts to determine the best ways to prevent future abuse and to support those who have already experienced abuse.

Even the NCAA has initiated a widespread effort to address the impact and prevention of sexual abuse through a $50 million fine imposed on Penn State.

The public’s response to revelations about decades of sexual abuse reports covered up by the Boy Scouts of America might have been very different without the heightened awareness brought by the media coverage of the Sandusky trial. Again, the realization for each of the boys who was abused that he is not one, but instead, one of many, will make it easier to acknowledge the experience and to seek help for any negative consequences.

Within the same context, Major League knuckle-ball pitcher and 2012 Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey wrote about his recovery from childhood sexual abuse in his autobiography Wherever I Wind Up: My Quest for Truth, Authenticity and the Perfect Knuckleball. His willingness to include those experiences in his life story and his reflections on the success and peace that he brought to his life, in part by finally facing the painful memories about his childhood, have, no doubt, been an inspiration to many.

Another memoir published in 2012, Nice to Meet Me by Chris Carlton, walks readers through the first 15 months of his healing journey, in a clear, insightful, humble and humorous style.

And Dr. Howard Fradkin’s newly released book on recovery Joining Forces, Empowering Male Survivors to Thrive is written with the goal of providing tools for male survivors of sexual victimization to develop skills they can use to overcome the effects of trauma and learn to thrive in their lives. In the book, Fradkin describes his own process of recovery from childhood sexual abuse and uses the voices of 20 other men who have worked through their healing.

So let’s hope that when we look back on 2013, we’ll be able to see it as the tipping point year, when individual’s, families’ and communities’ support for men’s willingness to seek help to recover from unwanted or abusive childhood sexual experiences became the norm, rather than the exception.

–By Peter Pollard

Peter Pollard is the Training and Outreach Director for 1in6, Inc. Peter previously worked for 15 years as a state, child-protection social worker and was the Public Education director at Stop It Now! Since 2003, he has served as the Western Massachusetts coordinator for SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests) and also does work for a Certified Batterers Intervention Program.

The mission of 1in6 is to help men who have had unwanted or abusive sexual experiences in childhood live healthier, happier lives.

1in6′s mission also includes serving family members, friends and partners by providing information and support resources on the web and in the community.

Joyful Heart and 1in6 invite you to visit 1in6.org for info, options and hope, and to learn more about our partnership and Engaging Men initiative at men.joyfulheartfoundation.org.

The views expressed above are not necessarily those of the Joyful Heart Foundation or 1in6.