There are absolutely no silver linings to the sexual abuse Jessa and Jill Duggar endured as children. But the fact that the sisters are speaking out about their experiences in a way that might ultimately help other abuse survivors — and maybe even help prevent abuse from happening in the first place — is is a good thing.
The Duggars, along with other notable celebs like Cheryl Burke and Teri Hatcher, appeared in Breaking the Silence Sunday night, a documentary created by TLC in collaboration with RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) and Darkness to Light, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing sexual abuse and sharing the stories of survivors.
Over the course of the one-hour special, both Jessa and Jill spoke about the realities of abuse. "It's amazing to understand that there are so many people that deal with this exact same thing in their own families," Jill, 24, shared. Her younger sister — and soon-to-be new mom — Jessa, 22, took the sentiments a step further.
"I feel like this should be a discussion people are having, even regularly. I think that it shouldn't be a taboo subject, that we should be bringing awareness to child sexual abuse and talking about this," she said.
Both women, along with their mother, Michelle Duggar, 48, attended a Darkness to Light sex abuse prevention training earlier this year, after it was revealed that Josh Duggar had victimized five girls — including his two sisters — while he was still a teen.
"I was so glad that my girls and I were able to do this together and that we could just be a support and encouragement to each other to be able to gain more information about this important topic," Michelle commented.
Jessa added that she learned things that would help her set up "boundaries and safeguards for my child and children, hopefully, in the future." Her first child with husband Ben Seewald is due November 1, 2015.
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