Don’t tell your mother because she will beat you.” Not only did those words stay with Alicia Bowen-McCulskie, the founder and executive director of Circle of Care Jamaica, from the age of five; they also impacted how she has lived her life. The threat had come from her first abuser who, by instilling fear in his victim, secured a lifetime of secrecy and ultimately, his own protection.
The weight of the secret, however, scarred Bowen-McCulskie until 2022, when she regained control of her life by openly sharing her story at the age of 42: read more