Bola is an initiative that started in Pune to create a support group for adult survivors of child sexual abuse. Bola was started by some adult survivors who felt the need of talking to others about their experience. However, when they spoke non-survivors they realised that there was a clear lack of context while talking to them. Non-survivors not knowing what to say often come across as insensitive and unemphatic. Some of us survivors had tried seeking counselling, however, it did not help much. The lack of connection and context was still there. Accidentally, once, three of us learnt that we were survivors of child sexual abuse and we sat together to talk about how we were feeling. At that time we openly spoke our hearts out. We felt like we were being understood. We felt like we were reflections of each other. There was trust, connection, and solidarity. This was very powerful for us. All three of us realised that we had issues being in an intimate relationship with someone. We knew this conversation has been one of the most valuable and important conversations in a long time. We knew we were not alone in this journey and there are many others to take along in this. That's our story. Come join us in breaking our silence on child sexual abuse.
