"I am a man who, just like many of you, just can't stand by and allow injustices to happen, especially toward kids, Betancourt said in an acceptance speech. I am standing up here today to give a voice to the most vulnerable, the children, the victims, the survivors, of sexual assault. The boys and young men and adult men that stay silent and hold it all in. You don't need to."
"Betancourt reclaimed his identity from John Doe as he was referenced in court filings and through the adjudication of the case and emerged from decades of trauma to become a story of triumphant resurrection. Betancourt is a person who somehow found the strength to face his worst nightmare, Rosen said, and dispel it by thinking of how to help others, how to help the next victim."
Adrian Betancourt, 39, publicly revealed childhood sexual abuse by his cousin Omar Torres and received the Courage Award from Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen. Betancourt recounted serial sexual abuse from school age until his early teens and described resulting behavioral problems, substance abuse, poor physical health and homelessness. Rosen said Betancourt reclaimed his identity from the John Doe reference used in court filings and emerged from decades of trauma to help others. Torres, 44, pleaded no contest to three sexual assault felonies involving a minor, was sentenced in August to a maximum-term 18-year prison sentence and is eligible for parole in 2037.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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