South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley opened up about being physically abused as a child, hoping her personal pain can help boost the reporting of such abuse.
The Greenville News, which reported on Haley's remarks Monday, said it's a "rare, personal disclosure" for the Republican. Haley also discussed the abuse in her 2012 memoirs, Can't is Not an Option: My American Story.
"It doesn't matter your background, it doesn't matter your education, it doesn't matter the wealth of your family," Haley said. "Every child is subject to child abuse."
Haley's remarks came as she and other officials highlighted a report called "Silent Tears," which are recommendations to improve South Carolina's response to child abuse. The report is the result of a review done by the National Child Protection Training Center of child sex abuse in the state.
Haley said she came to be cared for by a couple who lived in a trailer by her family. Her mother was working full-time in a teaching job at the time and raising three children, and needed someone to watch her daughter in the mornings.
One day, Haley came home with bruises and her mother confronted the couple, who packed up and left.
"When it happened to me, my parents didn't know what to do," Haley said Monday. "They didn't know who to go to. No one knew how to handle it."
The "Silent Tears" report makes several recommendations on how to improve the reporting of child abuse, including improved training on how to protect a child and speeding up the adjudication of child abuse cases.