Matt Sandusky, adopted son of convicted child sexual abuser Jerry Sandusky, recently attended the Sundance Film Festival premiere of “Happy Valley.”
This documentary sheds light on the infamous abuse scandal and its impact on the Penn State community. It was the younger Sandusky’s first public appearance since bravely coming forward to testify against his father in 2012.
Over 90% of child sexual abuse victims are abused by someone they know and trust.
“My role in the film was to share the perspective of a survivor, to give survivors a voice,” Sandusky said. The film, which premiered Sunday at the annual film festival in Utah, features Sandusky describing his adoption into the family, and his later abuse by none other than the man he was supposed to trust.
Sandusky said at the premiere, “There were many victims in this case who came forward for the trial…because of those guys, I had the courage to come forward, ”
Less than 30% of children tell someone within the year following abuse.
Many never tell.
We commend Matt for his bravery, and thank him for standing up for children everywhere.
For more information on preventing child sexual abuse in your community, visit The 5 Steps to Protecting Our ChildrenTM, or take D2L’s award-winning Stewards of Children® prevention training.
Bravery!