The family of one of R. Kelly’s alleged abuse victims has created an “abuse hotline” for victims to report their encounters with the R&B singer.
Tim and Jonjelyn Savage first accused R. Kelly of brainwashing their daughter, Joycelyn, and holding her against her will in a July 2017 Buzzfeed article. The Savages said they haven’t seen their daughter since December 2016 and last spoke to her on the phone in December 2017. Though Joycelyn has come out to dispute her parents’ claims, she still remains with the singer.
According to Mic, the Savages have been inundated with calls from women or parents with their own stores of abuse by the R&B singer since the Buzzfeed article. Because many were too scared to speak out, it pushed the couple to launch the “R. Kelly abuse hotline” this week.
“One reason I feel that he’s been getting away with a lot of the allegations for the last two decades is because people feel he has money and power and they don’t have the resources to fight him,” Jonjelyn Savage told Mic.
R. Kelly has been accused of sexual misconduct for over two decades, but the calls for him to be held accountable have grown in the past two years. An online campaign to #MuteRKelly has picked up steam, resulting in several concerts being canceled. The singer was also called out earlier this year by influential women like Ava DuVernay, Shonda Rhimes, and #MeToo movement founder, Tarana Burke.
In July, he released a 19-minute song called, “I Admit,” apparently bearing his soul about a slew of topics from his illiteracy and his predilection for young women, to his current status as “a broke-a** legend” and “the most disrespected artist” in the game.
He has also denied all of the accusations against him, calling the recent #MuteRKelly and Time’s Up campaigns against him an “attempted public lynching.”
His ex-wife, Andrea Kelly, has also shared her own story of abuse while marriage, telling The View earlier this month that she wanted to bring “validity” to the women who have come out with sexual abuse claims against him.
The new hotline allows callers to leave a message detailing their allegations. As more people come forward, the Savages say they want to build a case against R. Kelly.
“There’s no age limit on being mind-controlled, drugged, brainwashed, there’s no age limit on that,” Jonjelyn Savage said. “So the more we have more young ladies or even men, or parents that are willing to speak out, the more we think it can help our daughter as well as helping other victims.”
