Aston lives with the sadness of an unhappy childhood that left him vulnerable to sexual abuse
All names and identifying details have been changed.
Participants have given us permission to share their experiences.
Aston was sexually abused when he was in a children’s home.
He hopes that sharing his experience with the Truth Project will help him to make sense of what has happened in his life.
Aston grew up in the 1970s. He describes a difficult childhood and says of his mum ‘She was never meant to be a mother’.
Social services were involved with the family and at the age of 10, he and his brother were placed in a residential children’s home.
The first sexual abuse Aston was subjected to happened in the common room. He describes how a ‘big boy’ was sitting in a chair with his erect penis out of his trousers. This boy ordered Aston to get on his knees and masturbate him until he ejaculated.
Aston says that at the time, he knew nothing about sex.
On a later occasion, he was sexually abused by another older boy who was friends with the first abuser. Aston thinks the first abuser was ‘in charge’ of this other boy, who also forced Aston to masturbate him.
Aston never told any of the staff at the home about the abuse. The older boys had threatened him that he must not talk about it; they were bigger than him and he was scared of them.
He suffered more sexual abuse when the children and staff went on an annual summer camp. The husband of one female member of staff felt his private parts in the swimming pool. Aston doesn’t know if any staff saw what had happened but he doesn’t think they would have done anything if they had.
Throughout his time in care, Aston did have a social worker but he doesn’t recall seeing them very often.
When he was in his mid teens, Aston left the care system and went to work.
At some point, Aston did try to report the abuse he had suffered to the police, but he says his attempts ‘have fallen on deaf ears’. He now has no confidence in the police or any institutions and he does not believe that they will do anything to bring the perpetrators to justice.
He feels strongly that where there is evidence of abuse, the state should punish the abusers. He says it makes it so much worse for the victims if this does not happen.
The abuse he suffered in his early life has had tragic consequences. He struggles with a medical condition and has no relationships with any friends or family, but he still hopes that his personal life might improve.