Andy Bhatti to cycle across Newfoundland for child sexual abuse survivors
A man from British Columbia is getting ready to cycle across Newfoundland in bring attention to something this province is missing — a special centre to help and treat children who have been sexually abused.
Vancouver's Andy Bhatti survived sexual abuse when he was a child, and said he couldn't believe it when he heard that children in this province have to be sent away to get the expert treatment they need.
"I was going to die an addict, and I was useless, and there was no hope for me, and nobody cared for me, and nobody loved me," Bhatti said.
Bhatti went down a road of cocaine addiction, crime, and jail, after he went through four years of sexual abuse by a Big Brother.
At the age of 24, Bhatti began to improve his life and dedicated his time to helping others who have suffered similar abuse.
Recently he was contacted by the mother of a 12-year-old boy in this province who went through much the same abuse, also by a Big Brother.
The mother told him there was no expert treatment for her son here and he would have to leave the province.
"What 12-year-old kid wants to leave home to go to Toronto, right?" Bhatti said.
Bhatti will be joined by Bev Moore-Davis, who runs a local foundation which offers peer group support for adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse, on the journey.
She agrees there's a need for a well-coordinated program for sexually abused children.
Bhatti will begin the ride from Port aux Basques to St. John's on Saturday.
All proceeds go to the Miles for Smiles Foundation and Thrive.