Barbara Biggs

Barbara Biggs (born 3 December 1956) is an Australian journalist, social commentator, best-selling author and child protection campaigner.cite news |title= There is nothing normal about child sex abuse |url= http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20041101/ai_n12817942 |publisher= The Independent (London)|first= Barbara |last= Biggs |date= 2004-11-01] cite news |title= There’s sex and there's love - but not always together |url= http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=5144 |publisher= On Line Opinion (Australia) | first= Barbara |last= Biggs |date= 2006-11-13] cite news |title=Sex and money: both need discipline |url= http://moneymanager.com.au/articles/2006/11/18/1163266826321.html |publisher=The Sydney Morning Herald | first= Nicole|last= Peterson-McKinnon |date= 2006-11-26 |accessdate= 2006-12-10] cite news |title= Outing won't stop sex crimes |url= http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,20904018-5000117,00.html |publisher= Herald Sun | first= Barbara |last= Biggs |date= 2006-12-11]

Published works

Biggs' first book (published by Sly Ink, 2003) was autobiographical, called "In Moral Danger", about her life up to the age of 22. The book tells of her sexual abuse from the age of 14 by a well-known criminal barrister. [cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/gnt/people/Transcripts/s1067715.htm|title=Episode 22 Barbara Biggs Interview|accessdate=2006-12-10] It explains the damaging after effects following her abuse, including time spent in a psychiatric hospital, escaping Cambodia weeks before it fell to the Khmer Rouge and being a prostitute in Japan. It also describes how she attempted suicide four times, received death threats and caused national headlines - all before the age of 22.

Biggs has been interviewed about her story written in "In Moral Danger" by some of Australia and Britain's most respected journalists, interviewers and publications including Scotland on Sunday cite news |title= Against all odds |url= http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/spectrum.cfm?id=1144082004&format=print |publisher= Scotland on Sunday | author= Catherine Deveney |date= 2004-10-03] , BBC4's Woman's Hour's Jenni Murray cite news |title= Barbara Biggs (interview) |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/2004_38_tue_02.shtml |publisher= BBC Woman's Hour |date=2004-09-21 |accessdate= 2006-12-09] , Australia's Robyn Williams [http://search.abc.net.au//search/search.cgi?form=inconversation&num_tiers=1&num_ranks=20&collection=rn&query=Barbara+Biggs&form=inconversation&meta_v=%2Brn%2Finconversation%2Fstories] , Phillip Adams [http://search.abc.net.au//search/search.cgi?form=latenightlive&num_tiers=1&num_ranks=20&collection=rn&query=Barbara+Biggs&form=latenightlive&meta_v=%2Brn%2Flatenightlive%2Fstories] and George Negus [http://www.abc.net.au/gnt/people/Transcripts/s1067715.htm] .

"In Moral Danger" has since been released in the UK (2004) [http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/2004_38_tue_02.shtml] , New Zealand (2005) [http://www.listener.co.nz/issue/3390/tvradio/3886/radio_week.html;jsessionid=D9388567CCA43348E64051856A5D8516] , where it became Number One on the best-seller list, and has been translated for publication in Sweden and Greece (2006).Fact|date=February 2007

For the sequel, published in 2004, "The Road Home", former Governor General of Australia Peter Hollingworth wrote a foreword. Two years earlier he had made self-regretable comments about child sexual abuse and mishandled certain complaints made to him during his career as an Anglican priest. After reading "In Moral Danger" he felt enlightened by Biggs. In his words, "I accepted Barbara's point that I did not understand the 'emotional mechanics' of child sexual abuse and the long-term destructive effect on a victim's later life." He added "Her story will be an inspiration to others facing similar circumstances. Victims will see that they are not alone and will be encouraged to speak out about their own emotional responses to abuse." cite news |title=Public penance for a tormented priest |url= http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/05/03/1083436544910.html |publisher= Sydney Morning Herald| first= Damien |last= Murphy |date= 2004-05-04 |accessdate= 2006-12-12] cite news |title=A wiser man, after a victim's challenge |url= http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/05/03/1083436538102.html |publisher= Sydney Morning Herald| first= Peter |last= Hollingworth |date= 2004-05-04 |accessdate= 2006-12-12]

Biggs' third book (Sly Ink, 2005), "" [cite web | title=The Accidental Renovator | last= | first= | work= | url=http://seven.com.au/sunrise/more_nov2005 | date= | accessdate=2007-08-29 ] , is about her exploits in buying an apartment in Paris in 2003. A combination of travel book, gonzo-journalistic treatment of the seedier side of Paris life and 'gallery of characters' met whilst renovating the apartment in 2004.

Biggs' fourth book, Chat Room (Micklind Enterprises, 2006). It is about a 13-year-old girl who falls victim to a predator (posing as a child) in a teen chat room. Some of the inside information of this novel was provided by the Australian Federal Police and their files on offenders.cite news |title= Experiences from a 'Chat Room' |url=http://www.shinetv.co.nz/nzonepage.php?id=91|publisher= Shine TV |date=2006-11-20 |accessdate= 2006-12-12] It was also released in New Zealand in October 2006 [http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/410965/861305]

"", (Micklind Enterprises, 2006), is Biggs' fifth book, and treats of her own lessons learned in the course of a bizarre and varied life.

Child Protection Campaigner

Since "In Moral Danger" was published, Biggs has become an advocate for social change and awareness about child sexual abuse. cite news |title= From child slave to author |url= http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2006/11/24/1164341378905.html |publisher= The Age| first= Nitika |last= Mansingh |date= 2006-11-24 |accessdate= 2006-12-09] She now speaks about her life and child sexual abuse to welfare professionals, prisoners, offenders in treatment programs, troubled youths, students and to women's groups.

Regarding abuse victims, Biggs writes and speaks about the much-misunderstood phenomenon of emotional attachment to the abuser, common to many abuse victims. Biggs tells how she 'fell in love' with her abuser, suppressing her real feelings about the abuse to mould it into a 'love story' and about how this became the most damaging aspect of her abuse, the effects of which lingered for decades. cite news |title= Barbara Biggs (interview) |url=http://www.abc.net.au/rn/inconversation/stories/2006/1678244.htm |publisher= ABC Radio |date=2006-07-16 |accessdate= 2006-12-10] cite news |title= Falling in love with the abuser compounds, not excuses, their crime |url= http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=2690 |publisher= On Line Opinion (Australia) | first= Barbara |last= Biggs |date= 2004-10-23]

Political Candidacy

Biggs stood as an Upper House candidate in the for new political party, People Power, in the 2006 Victorian election [http://www.abc.net.au/elections/vic/2006/guide/nmet.htm] . Running for the Northern Metropolitan Region seat, she eventually lost to the Greens candidate Greg Barber. [http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/bracks-reels-as-seats-fall-to-dlp/2006/12/12/1165685681111.html] This is not sourced: She also wrote the party's child protection policy. Because of the party's preference deals (negotiated by co-founders Stephen Mayne and Vern Hughes), she was the last candidate eliminated before the Greens candidate took the seat.

Footnotes

References

*cite news |title= From child slave to author |url= http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2006/11/24/1164341378905.html |publisher= The Age| first= Nitika |last= Mansingh |date= 2006-11-24 |accessdate= 2006-12-09
*cite news |title= Hollingworth in 'journey of discovery' |url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/05/03/1083436541695.html?from=storyrhs |publisher= The Age| first= Damien |last= Murphy |date= 2006-05-04 |accessdate= 2006-12-09

External links

* [http://barbarabiggs.com/ Barbara Biggs official website]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/ram/2004_38_tue_02.ram Audio of Woman's Hour interview (requires realPlayer)]