Lokesh Pawar, a victim of sexual abuse has left no leaf unturned in advocating for the existence of male abuse and being a prominent symbol of surviving one.
Right from the mere age of 6, the trauma began. Back then, the young Indian had no idea of what was happening, after all he was only 6 years old. It started off with anal penetration and oral sex only to continue for 8 more years. “I was the youngest child of my family and loved a lot. But the love took a dark twist”, says Lokesh who recalls the sexual abuse becoming almost like a process for him. The pain and suffering would come back in a jiffy, the second his abuser walked into the room.
The young Indian soon understood that something didn’t seem right. The pain and suffering was excruciating and the fact that he couldn’t talk about it to anyone and it all happened behind closed doors started transforming into red flags for Lokesh. He forgot he could do something about it and suddenly didn’t feel so helpless and powerless.
As Lokesh turned 16, he understood the depth of what had been happening to him and began doing extensive research for the next 4 years. When you educate you understand your rights better. The young Indian recalls the day he said ‘no’ to his abuser as the moment he felt most powerful. Lokesh says, “It is important to face your enemy so that they know how strong you are” and that is exactly what this young, mighty Indian did.
The 22-year old didn’t stop there. At the age of 19, he devoted his life to advocating sexual abuse towards men and has since been standing as a tall pillar of support to all those feeling helpless like how he once did. “It is important for the victims to know that they aren’t wrong and that it isn’t their fault”, says Lokesh and here is his survival journey.
