N.S. man abused by father brings message of hope to sexual violence march

A Pictou County, N.S., man who kept secret the sexual abuse he suffered for about 47 years is encouraging other survivors to break their silence, saying he has taken back his life since coming forward.

Doug Robertson, who is a survivor of abuse by his father, was keynote speaker Saturday at a march to end sexual violence organized by the Colchester Sexual Assault Centre.

"I put my fears aside and I did this here to maybe help people," said Robertson, 53. "There's help ... and it doesn't matter if you're female or male."

About 50 people participated in the march in the centre of Truro carrying signs and wearing blue hats with the message "End The Silence."

Organizers invited Robertson to honour his courage and dignity in his decades-long wait for justice.

"He's the voice for the voiceless right now," said Lorna Gero, director of fund development with the Colchester Sexual Assault Centre. "Hopefully a lot of people will connect with wanting to be freed from their trauma and speak up."

Robertson reported his father to the police in 2023 after the years of abuse he suffered as a young child.

He likened the burden of staying silent to a "little monster on my shoulder."

"You can't stay silent, it hurts too much," he told the crowd Saturday.

Douglas Guthro Sr. pleaded guilty to crimes of historical sexual violence against all three of his children in February.

The 86-year-old faces sentencing in Pictou on April 11.

Robertson and his two sisters took the step of opting out of a publication ban on their identities to speak up about their experiences that the Crown in the case described as "horrific."

Robertson used to share the same last name as his father, but he subsequently changed it to take the last name of his wife, Tish, as did their three children. The change cost about $1,000, he said.

It's another reason he got involved in last weekend's event, which raised funds to help with some of the financial burdens survivors face.

"This is a start on how we bring awareness, marching in solidarity to say we've had enough and we're going to do more to help our victims and survivors," Gero said.

There is an increasing need for the services of the Colchester Sexual Assault Centre with intimate partner violence "out of control," she said.

The province declared intimate partner violence an epidemic in Nova Scotia in September 2024. Since then, there have been seven women killed in Nova Scotia whose deaths are connected to their male partners.

"It hits close to home," said Jessica Dobbin, who attended the march. "I know some people that have been in domestic violence relationships, and with everything going on in the last year, it's just something that really needs to be talked about more."

Jordan Pachnosky, who also attended the march, agreed.

"It's just a huge topic that needs to kind of remove the stigma and that we're able to talk about it more," said Pachnosky, holding a small sign that read "March To End Sexual Violence."

In his speech to the crowd, Robertson said shame and worry about what people would think kept him from telling his own story for years. Since coming forward and beginning his healing journey, he said he has felt nothing but support.

"There are people there that actually care and would like to help and see you succeed," he said.