My father was a Vietnam medic, he was tough as nails, saw some real combat, seldom spoke about it. Growing up he beat the holy hell out of my brothers and me (belts, extension cords, cigarette butts, you name it) as is the Mexican tradition. I had no control over it but I have turned it into a net positive, it made me more resilent and headstrong. My strength had to come from within because compassion and sympathy was non-existent.
I am not trying to justify child abuse, indeed it is wrong, but I've found that thinking myself as some sort of "victim," has not done me any favors. What has helped me was trying to understand why father became the person he was. He was not a bad man, but rather endured some terrible experiences, compounded by the fact that he was only raising his children in the only manner he knew how. He was beat as a child, and perpetrated it. Once you are mature enough to understand why your parents became the people they are, what formed their view of the world, then you are well onto your way to being able to accept what happened to you. I accepted the fact a long time ago that my father was a terribly flawed human being; he did the best he could, but he had his own demons. Life was not a bed of roses for him either.
In five simple words: I chose to forgive him. It was a conscious decision, which enabled us later to become good friends. The day before my old man passed away I was at his bedside, we joked, laughed, and thought of only pleasant things. He gave me some fatherly advice about the direction I was choosing to pursue in my professional life, I disagreed with it but listened nonetheless.
You can go to the authorities if you wish, though I seriously doubt it's going to make much of any difference. In most situations there is a statue of limitations on child abuse, and assuming that you did pursue your father on criminal charges and you won your case, it's not going to erase what happened to you, nor is it going to get you one step further to acceptance, only you are capable of doing that.
These are just my own thoughts from someone who has been there, I am not a phycologist, my opinion my not be at all correct. It was just what worked for me. I wish you well.