Alaskan child abuse on DVD

DVD brings topic of child sexual abuse to Alaska Native villages[B]efore a word is spoken in English, there come the words of a half-dozen elders: Each, in their own language, whether it be Yup’ik or Inupiaq or Tlingit, grants a sort of permission to those who will watch a film of interviews intended to lift the dark silent cloud of child sexual abuse so pervasive in parts of rural Alaska.

The 40-minute DVD, titled "Pathway to Hope: Healing Child Sexual Abuse," is the creation of the Anchorage-based Tribal Law and Policy Institute. The film includes interviews with more than 40 Alaska Natives who are survivors of child sexual abuse.

"That’s why it’s the first of its kind," said narrator Diane Benson, one of the film’s producers. "It’s Alaska Native people talking to Alaska Native people about an issue that impacts us. That makes it very relevant."