The dependency of a child and his or her need for affection and closeness is being exploited by the mostly adult offender or offenders to meet a demand of power and dominance and sexual needs. Especially mentally and physically handicapped children are easy prey.
With my appeal linked to the Boston Marathon on 18 April 2011, again, I asked for your financial support. On medical advice though, I had to refrain from this extreme physical stress. Therefore, I was more than pleased to be able to be part of it in BOSTON on 16 April 2012!
Facing temperatures of 30 Centigrade, and thus one of the hottest marathon days since 2004, the organizers advised runners who had not previously trained under such climatic conditions not to participate. But I decided to give it a go with the aim to make it to the finish line – no matter what time I would run.
The fact that the male winner’s result was ten (!) minutes below the one of the previous year speaks for itself. Some top athletes even had to drop out. After 04:16:38 I crossed the finish line, exhausted but more than happy.
I will always remember someone I met in BOSTON as I was very moved by this encounter: Staci, a young mother, I met on a bus ride. In her childhood, she and her sister were sexually abused by their stepfather. As a victim Staci is now strong enough to cope with her experiences at that time and to give her own children the love and security they need from their parents.
The following projects have been supported:
- MÄNNERTHEMEN e.V.
(support groups and signposting services for women and men who have been raped or sexually abused in childhood, www.maennerthemen.net) - FREIO E.V. RHEIN-ERFTKREIS
(point of contact for education, information and prevention for girls and boys confronted with sexual violence, www.freio-ev.de)