MANILA, Philippines – Former America's Next Top Model judge and top fashion photographer Nigel Barker revealed that he was sexually assaulted by a man when he was around 8 years old.
Nigel shared the story on his SiriusXM talk show, Gentleman's Code in honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
"There's so much stigma, so much discrimination, you know, when it comes to sexual assault. And I think for guys, specifically, one thing we rarely talk about, rarely hear or see is sexual assault being talked when it comes to men – men being sexually assaulted, men being the victims," Nigel said.
According to Nigel, the man, who he described to be in his 40s, was asking for directions before promptly pushing and cornering him inside a building.
"I went up to the door and read the names on the buzzers... I went to push it, and he pushed me from behind, jolted me through the doors and I fell to my feet inside the door," Nigel shared.
"The door closed and I'm now trapped between a stairwell inside and a shut door. I have a man, who is much bigger than me, push me to the ground, grab me, pull my trousers and my pants down. I'm now exposed, and I'm screaming and thrashing."
Nigel then talked about he was able to escape by kicking the man and running away. He said that no one in his family knew that this happened.
"Now here's the thing: I didn't tell anyone. I didn't tell my parents. I didn't tell my brothers. I told no one. I was humiliated. I was scared. I was worried. I thought I had done the wrong thing. I thought I had done the bad thing. And it was something that stuck with me for a very long time," he said.
Nigel also said that his sister was also assaulted.
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Now aged 43 and married with kids, Nigel decided to share his story because of the "stigma" surrounding the matter. He said that knows that it is still happening and he encourages everyone to be aware and to speak about the issue.
"Get out there. Talk about it and you know don't be afraid. And empower our children and our kids to do just that. because it is a tough thing and it is a tough thing to talk about," he said. – Rappler.com