What deepens injury for many victims is not only what happened, but what follows.
Who is protected.
Who is believed.
Who is asked to wait.
When governments, institutions and those in positions of authority move to protect the powerful, the impact is immediate and lasting. Careful language. Delayed accountability. Statements designed to stabilise reputation rather than address harm. The message lands clearly for those watching: status is being guarded more tightly than the people who were injured.
In clinical work, this registers in the body. Many people already arrive carrying betrayal. When responses appear calibrated around power rather than responsibility, that betrayal compounds. It alters whether speaking ever felt worth the cost.
“Recovery is then held in limbo while processes unfold.”
Investigations, statements, legal timelines and institutional reviews can stretch over months or years. During that time, individuals are expected to continue functioning while the conditions needed for repair remain unresolved. Stability is deferred. Resolution is deferred. The nervous system remains in a state of watchfulness.
Recovery does not happen in isolation from these environments. When systems close ranks, narrow accountability or move slowly in ways that protect the influential, they shape the conditions in which healing must take place. The work becomes heavier. The path becomes longer.
People do recover. But recovery is supported by environments that demonstrate clarity, responsibility and proportionate response. When those conditions are present, repair is possible. When they are absent, recovery is prolonged.
The impact of abuse does not end with exposure.
The impact of protection does not end with statements.
Both shape the conditions in which recovery takes place.
Tess Hunneybell
Trauma Therapist
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