5 Hollywood actresses who spoke up about sexual abuse

Like every other woman, Westworld actress Evan Rachel Wood too faced sexual abuse in her life and she opened up about it on social media. The actress recently revealed that she has been victim of rape twice.

Speaking up against sexual abuse or harassment in public needs courage, but these days celebs are taking benefit of social media platform to raise their voice to eradicate social stigma and increase social awareness. It also inspires other survivors to live their life fearlessly. Here we listed up some celebrities who have broken their silence and spoke about the sexual assault they faced in their life.

Ashley Judd

The American actress revealed about being a victim of sexual abuse in her childhood. But she has moved forward in her life. "You know, it's too late to go back and have a happy childhood, but by the grace of God and you know, a pretty simple program of recovery and fellowship, life is good today," she wrote in her memoir.

Oprah Winfrey

The media mogul has spoken up about her traumatic experience of sexual abuse she faced at a young age. She said in a talk show, "Anybody who has been verbally abused or physically abused will spend a great deal of their life rebuilding their esteem."

Lady Gaga

This Pop star opened up about being raped when she was 19-year-old. She also explained: "When you go through a trauma like that, it doesn't just have the immediate physical ramifications. For many people it has almost like trauma, where you re-experience it through the years after it. It can trigger patterns in your body of physical distress. So a lot of people suffer not just emotional and mental pain, but physical pain as a result of being abused, raped or traumatised in some way."

Madonna

American songstress Madonna confessed that she was raped at the age of 19. In an interview with Howard Stern she revealed, ""I was going to a dance class and the door was locked and I needed money for the payphone. (This guy) gave it to me, he was a very friendly guy. I trusted everybody." He then persuaded her to make the call from his home instead. "I was raped."

Mo'nique

Monique Angela Hicks, an American actress and comedian opened up in 2008 that she had been sexually assaulted by an older sibling when she was seven-year-old. "My father was very upset, but it never got mentioned again. I'll never forget my mother saying, 'If it's true, it will surface again,' and I remember thinking, 'Why would I lie? Why is there even an if in this?' I was angry with them for so long because I felt as if they should have seen what was happening," the Golden Globe winner added.