What occurred to me as I read Briggs' book was that the authors had clear and total recall of their victimisation, even when it took place at a very early age. In my own experience, most non-offenders I have met in support groups seem to have some degree of amnesia about the experiences of childhood. However, she has found a common tendency for people to put abusive experiences behind them when they know they are not responsible and can't do anything about it. Unfortunately, memories often remain in a corner of the brain, waiting to take victims by surprise when something happens to revive them. When the interviewers asked men whether they were sexually abused in childhood, most denied it and made comments to the effect that the size of the problem was exaggerated.
Men think that sexual abuse is something that happens to other people.
The denial is very damaging because male victims find it extremely difficult to get counselling for the effects of abuse. Male psychologists who work sympathetically with female victims tend to become macho when they face homosexual abuse. Briggs has been inundated with requests for details of counselling facilities for male survivors Australia-wide. During the last couple of months her work has been cited several times in the media in the discussion of sexual abuse aroused by revelations made in testimony before the Wood Royal Commission into police corruption in New South Wales. She also appeared on the ABC's Lateline program, which included a short interview with 'Neil', explaining the ease with which paedophiles learn to 'seduce' parents before seducing and ravaging their children.