Abuse haunts victims for years: MP

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VICTIMS of child abuse grow up but they don't leave the abuse behind them, Senator Mark Arbib said at the launch of Forget-me-knot day.

The day aims to highlight the struggle adult victims go through as they try to untangle the knots of child abuse.

"As a society we sometimes forget that abused children grow up," Senator Arbib, the founder of Parliamentarians Against Child Abuse and Neglect, told reporters at Friday's launch.

"They don't leave that abuse in their childhood and many go through life with a misplaced sense of shame, suffering in silence," he said.

The Adults Surviving Child Abuse (ASCA) organisation, which is behind Forget-me-knot day, says 76 per cent of women and 72 per cent of men with severe mental illness have been abused.

ASCA chairperson Cathy Kezelman said people found the trauma of child abuse hard to comprehend so it was often ignored.

"Society is slowly recognising that silence around child abuse is harmful," Dr Kezelman said.

"Community and government acknowledgment and support for survivors is critical for their healing process," she said.

Senator Arbib agreed, saying that ignoring the problem gave power to abusers.

"Child abuse is challenging and disturbing but it is too important to sweep under the carpet," he said.

"With the right help and support, survivors can find their way through the tangle of child abuse and find a sense of wellbeing and re-engage positively in their communities."