In this week's episode we are joined by Lauren-Eden Penn, a survivor of childhood sexual trauma at the hands of her HIV positive father. Lauren is a mother and business owner who has recently waived her right to anonymity to speak out about her story in the hopes to inspire and support other survivors. She also recently went viral on TikTok after sharing her story in light of the recent overturning of Roe Vs Wade in the US and changes to abortion laws.

"For those that may not have seen the recent trend on TikTok, thousands of people are sharing their personal traumatic sexual experiences, followed by the words ‘Keep your laws off our bodies’, to illustrate how, in many cases abortions may well be necessary. My TikTok featured the words ‘Have you ever lost your virginity at the age of 14 to your HIV+ Father? What’d you say? Oh you haven’t? 'Keep your laws off our bodies’ I decided to participate in the trend after another girl's video came up on my For You page."

While the issue began in America, Lauren strongly feels that the problem is not limited to those across the pond. "Although I don’t reside in the US, I felt it was important to speak up on the issue and use my voice to show support and stand in solidarity with every woman in the US who could be affected by the harmful effects of overturning Roe v Wade," she said. - Words via Dorset Live article here.

As a society, by avoiding the subject of child sexual abuse we run the risk of normalising it and many survivors are then left feeling isolated in their experiences; Lauren's courage in coming forward and speaking out about her story aims to change this.

For more information find Lauren via Instagram and TikTok with handle @LozCreates

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