Survivors of child sexual abuse said Sunday night the problem cannot be combated unless people are willing to talk about it openly.
 
At a two-hour panel discussion at Penn State University, two-time Olympic swimmer Margaret Hoelzer, state Rep. Louise Williams Bishop (D., Phila.), and Christopher Anderson, executive director of MaleSurvivor, shared personal stories of being abused as children with an audience of about 150 people.
 
It was the opening session of "Child Sexual Abuse Conference: Traumatic Impact, Prevention and Intervention," a three-day gathering that hopes to shed more light on a problem that gained national attention after former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky was arrested on child sex abuse charges last November.
 
The panelists said more resources and treatment for victims and survivors will become available if the issue gains more attention and awareness.
 
Williams Bishop said the Sandusky scandal was just a conversation starter because the issue has been going on for years.