At The Ark Inc has been set up to assist families dealing with the tragedy of child sexual abuse. As a family during this time, we felt like we were the only ones going through this horrible situation. Nobody seemed to be able to offer us help and we didn’t know where to turn. One of the greatest emotions I felt as a mother, apart from anger, was a sense of guilt. Being a parent comes with the responsibility of protecting your children. When you can’t, for whatever reason, you blame yourself. It’s a natural response for any parent, so I had to learn to forgive myself as I thought I had let my children down. As a parent you will have to learn to forgive yourself, as well as the abuser/perpetrator. Yes, I am serious. It has been shown medically that unforgiveness is a cause of stress. Don’t get me wrong: forgiveness is not about letting abusers 'off the hook'; they still have to face the consequences of their actions. Rather, forgiveness is about you letting go of the pain and allowing justice to take its course. Healing can then start, so you can begin to move on. We have put some information on forgiveness on this site for you to read through and think about. The aim of this site is to help you – whether you need someone to talk to, pray with or point you in the right direction for help. We hope we can help you by understanding your feelings, at least a little, and maybe offering a little comfort or aid during this difficult time.