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Sexual Abuse & Trafficking Survivor Reacts To Kavanaugh Allegations

By Stan Bush

DENVER (CBS4) - What happened to Jill Brogdon will give parents nightmares. She says when she was 12 years old, a teacher molested her and for the next six years he abused her trust, trafficking her for sex to other teachers, hunters, men during the National Western Stock Show and on Colfax Avenue.

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Jill Brodgon (credit: CBS)

"Even sitting here talking to you today is scary," said Brogdon. "People may see me and think 'What an idiot. Why didn't you get out of it?'"

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(credit: Jill Brogdon)

Brogdon didn't share her story until she was in her 30s, beyond when law enforcement could act on the allegations. She says for years she was terrified about going public.

"Nobody would believe me if I did come forward. He said he would lose his job and my parents would be ashamed of me, and as a child, that is scary."

Brogdon is telling her story because she's angry at the response from Senate Republicans and President Donald Trump after two women have accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of abuse from his time in high school and college.

RELATED: Second Kavanaugh Accuser Lives In Boulder, Protests Erupt In Denver

"You're accusing the victim of lying about something so intimate and traumatizing. It feels like I've been in trigger for the last week or two thinking 'How am I going to get anyone to hear my voice?' when I saw this happened to me," she said.

Brogdon says denying a victim's account is a way of victimizing them again.

She was appointed by the governor to the Colorado Human Trafficking Council. She is urging victims to come forward and be heard, even if what happened to them isn't as horrific as her own ordeal.

"Even if it wasn't that severe, if it happens as a child you remember that for the rest of your life."

If you are a victim of human trafficking, you can call Colorado's 24-hour hotline at 1-866-455-5075.

Stan Bush is a general assignment reporter at CBS4. His stories can be seen on CBS4 News at 10. Read his bio and follow him on Twitter @StanBushTV.

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