00:02Hugh Heggie was just 14 years old when an older church youth group leader began paying
00:08him special attention.
00:10He asked me if I'd like to go to the drive-in with him.
00:16On the first occasion he had beer that he was sharing and he started talking about men
00:27touching boys or men touching men.
00:30When the man, then in his 20s, asked Mr Heggie again two days later, he relented.
00:36Once more Mr Heggie was offered alcohol.
00:39And I realised that he was trying to get me intoxicated.
00:43So I pretended to drink and when his hand went too far, I got out of the car and said,
00:52you
00:52either take me home now or I will walk home.
00:56Mr Heggie never returned to the youth group, nor did he report the incident or tell his
01:01parents, choosing to bury what happened for decades.
01:05But abuse kept finding its way into his life.
01:08Family members were sexually assaulted and as a doctor, men confided their own stories to
01:14him.
01:14Today, he's clear about how he feels about his abuser.
01:20Outraged, particularly because of the possibility there were other young people that he took
01:25advantage of.
01:26Instances of child harm have surged across Australia over the past decade, according to recent research
01:32by the University of Sydney.
01:34Now an ambassador for the National Survivors Foundation, Mr Heggie hopes sharing his story
01:40will help other survivors feel less alone and more empowered to speak out and seek justice.
01:47And most importantly, to make sure that the next generation of children, particularly, are
01:56safe.
01:57And the metric of that will be the numbers of sexual assaults is reduced.
02:06A boy once quiet, now a man determined to ensure his voice is heard.
