Former Miss America Marilyn Van Derbur is the featured speaker today at the Bivona Summit on Child Abuse in Rochester. The two-day event features training for professionals who work with sexually abused children, including law enforcement, social workers, and professionals from medicine and education.
Van Derbur is a survivor of incest. From the time she was 5-years-old to the day she left for college, her father began entering her bedroom at night and sexually abusing her. Van Derbur said she never intended to reveal this publicly, but a newspaper in her hometown of Denver revealed the story. She has since written a book called Miss America By Day: Lessons Learned from Ultimate Betrayals and Unconditional Love.
Van Derbur has been speaking about her childhood experiences and recovery from sexual abuse for 25 years.
