Estefan claimed that her music teacher was a "predator" and threatened to kill her mother if she learned about the abuse.

Gloria Estefan and Clare Crawley spoke out about their childhood sexual abuse, in a heartbreaking episode of "Red Table Talk: the Estefans".

The international music legend opened Thursday's emotional edition by sharing the statistic that 93% "know and trust their abusers." Gloria shared the shocking truth for the first-time, "And this is because I was one," Gloria said.

She explained that she was nine years old at the time and it was someone my mother trusted. He wasfamily, but not close relatives. My mother had me enroll in his music school, so he was in a position to exert power. He told her immediately how talented I am and that I required special attention. She felt fortunate that he was paying this much attention to me.

She continued, "I knew that this was a very dangerous place." "And when he revolted and said, 'This can't happen, you cannot make this happen,' he says, 'Your father's in Vietnam, and your mother is all alone, and I will kill her if she tells me.

It was insane because I never thought it was possible. "I knew that the man was crazy and I believed he might hurt my mother."

Emily asked Gloria, her grandmother, if she knew anything about the abuse. Gloria replied that it wasn't discussed back then.

The heartbreaking family audio tape was played on Red Table Talk, where Gloria, a 9 year old, can be heard telling her dad that she finds music studies boring and difficult. Her father replied by saying that he was proud of her and that she was a "born artist" after hearing from her music teacher.

Gloria's anxiety reached the point that her hair began to fall out. She broke down and called her mother at 3 AM. Gloria's mom was told not to press charges by the police because Gloria's testimony in court would cause her more trauma.

Gloria said, "And that's what I feel bad about -- knowing that there must have been others victims."

She also shared how her abuser tried controlling her as an adult. She claimed that her abuser sent her a letter in 1985 criticizing her music after she had made it big with "Conga". Gloria, who was angry at the time said that she didn’t want to expose her abuser because she believed her career would be about the abuse and didn’t want him to have power over her.

Crowley was then invited to join the panel, where she revealed that she was being targeted by a Catholic priest in the first grade.

Clare stated, "I grew-up going to Catholic school, and I was the victim a predator." "My parents saw Catholic priests like -- they placed them on a pedestal."

Clare said that Clare's Mexican-American mother was Lili's.

Gloria asked, and Emily responded, "How can you not trust priests?"

Clare said yes. "And the Catholic school treated he as a counsellor. My parents tried their best and sought out all the resources available at the time. They sent me to this priest.

"I don’t believe there was any counseling. It was one-on-one to be a predator.

She claimed she doesn't recall being threatened like Gloria. However, she knew she had no choice but to stay away from the priest.

Clare, like Gloria, said that no one discussed sexual abuse as a child, so she kept it a secret from her family for years. She confided in her sister who then informed her parents. Clare says that they sued the church but that the church removed the priest from the parish and moved him to another one. He continued to abuse children.

Crawley also credits Dale Moss for helping her process the events and start to share it publicly.

Clare stated that she felt immediately safe with Clare, while I felt instantly connected to him. Healing from sexual abuse and childhood abuse is not a linear process. It affects many areas of our lives. When we have disagreements, I noticed that I was raising my voice quite a bit. He asked me previously, "Why do you shout sometimes?" I tell him that I felt silenced as a child and that I now feel I need to be heard. I also feel like if I don't get heard, you will listen to me.

Moss also appeared on the show and stated that he always wanted her feeling safe, secure, and protected. We've discussed this a lot and she never felt pressured. Moss also encouraged her to mention her past abuse in an Instagram posting back in July.

After a long and difficult journey of healing, Clare was able to see that Gloria was a survivor, not a victim.

Text "STRENGTH" at the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 if you or someone you care about has been a victim to sexual abuse. You will be connected to a certified counselor.

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Title: Gloria Estefan and Clare Crawley Reveal Childhood Sexual Abuse on Heartbreaking Red Table Talk
Sourced From: toofab.com/2021/09/30/gloria-estefan-clare-crawley-reveal-childhood-sexual-abuse/
Published Date: Thu, 30 Sep 2021 19:17:11 +0000

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