Robert F. Costello
A
forty-five year-old Boston native, Mr. Costello worked in
the banking and computer industry until moving to
Washington, DC in 1988. There, Robert began his recovery
from childhood abuse, which spanned the ages of 8 to 18, by
a priest/scoutmaster, Fr. John Cotter, another scoutmaster,
and a gang rape. His personal journey led him into the
roles of survivor and of an advocate for other abuse
victims.
He adopted
the motto, "If I tell my story and that makes one boy or
girl say, `that happened to me, too,’ or one mother to ask
her child, `is someone touching you?,’ then it will have
all been worth it." In 16 years of advocating for abuse
victims, he has helped hundreds of survivors.
He sued
the Archdiocese of Boston in 1990, and did not back down
when it challenged him on statutes of limitations. He
successfully settled his case in 1995, refusing to sign a
confidentiality agreement.
As part of his
advocacy, he has testified three times in front of the
Massachusetts Judiciary Committee for the elimination of
the statutes of limitations for abuse crimes, has spoken
with Voice of the Faithful groups, has interviewed with the
media, has co-facilitated trauma and recovery workshops,
has attended four SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused
by Priests) national conferences, has met with the
Massachusetts U.S. Attorney, and has openly demonstrated
for survivor justice.
A resident of
Massachusetts once again, he is a current member of SNAP,
having co-facilitated a SNAP chapter in Norwood for over
two years. He is a member of the Massachusetts SOL
Coalition and is a founding member and president of A
Matter Of Truth.