‘Understanding My Truths’ | Woman reflects on childhood sexual abuse in hopes of helping others

NEW ORLEANS — According to the National Center for Victims of Crime, one in nine girls and one in 20 boys are sexually abused before the age of 18. Tonisha Jones, 30, never imagined she would become a number in that statistic.

“Our mother scared us very much. She said what goes in my house stays in my house,” Jones said.

This inspired her to put her thoughts on paper and publish a tell-all book called Understanding My Truths.

Jones said her stepfather came to get her out of bed. “He said my mom wanted to talk to me. He woke me up and I noticed he was naked when he came to pick me up.”

“Writing helped me cope with it.” Jones said she wanted to write the book to share it with other women around the world and even men “who have been through this.”

In the book, Jones bravely speaks about overcoming trauma and alleged child abuse at the hands of her stepfather on the night of June 12, 2005.

“He forced me to take off my clothes and go to bed. He started kissing me and I started crying. I always asked God what I had done to deserve this.”

During her teenage years, Jones’ life entered a dangerous downward spiral. She continued to be abused at home and turned to alcohol and partying to numb the pain. She was kicked out of her parents’ home at 14, and at 1 she attempted suicide.

It was her “darkest hour” when all the hardships turned into a blessing: she was expecting her first child.

“I didn’t know what to do, I was afraid to have children. But God gave me a daughter,” Jones said.

The birth of her daughter prompted her to embark on a healing journey. She began therapy sessions and rediscovered her love of writing.

Jones, now happily married with two children, said she hopes by sharing her uncomfortable truths she can educate the community and encourage other victims to come forward.

“Tell someone. Walk away and never think it’s your fault, because it’s not.”

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