Being sexually abused by a teacher in school had a damaging effect on Verity’s education
All names and identifying details have been changed.
Participants have given us permission to share their experiences.
Verity was sexually abused by a teacher who was seen as a ‘pillar of the community’.
She is concerned about the power that people in his position can hold.
Verity grew up in the 1960s and 70s in a rural village. ‘You’d have thought everyone would be well-protected in a place like that’ she says.
She was repeatedly abused by a teacher at her primary school, Mr Davies. The abuse began when she was nine years old.
Mr Davies would call Verity to stand behind his desk to read aloud to the class. He would touch her between her legs and put his hands in her pants. She describes her ‘great shock’ when he did this.
She once slapped his hand away, and he humiliated her by ordering her to stand in front of class as ‘punishment’. She relates ‘I learned that if I tried to stop him, he would immediately make me stand in front of the class … I was terrified’.
On another occasion, she ran out of the class and into the toilets, and Mr Davies followed her and penetrated her with his finger.
The teacher relentlessly sexually abused Verity for the entire academic year that he was her teacher. She says ‘I remember thinking “What did I do wrong?” It seemed wherever I was, this man would appear’.
After she moved up to the next school year, Mr Davies found another opportunity to sexually abuse Verity at a sports club she attended. She didn’t realise at the time, but a friend saw him do this.
Verity remembers telling her mother what Mr Davies was doing, but she says at the time her mother was struggling to bring up her children with no support from her husband, and she was unable to take any action.
Some years later, Verity and the friend who witnessed the abuse reported Mr Davies to the police, but by this time he had died.
Verity emphasises what a significant impact the abuse had on her education. ‘I feel pathetic saying it, but I do believe my life has suffered’ she says. ‘Reading was painful for me and even now I find it difficult to read a book because of the association.’
Her siblings achieved highly in school and have good jobs, but she feels she has been held back and as a result she has suffered financially.
She believes the abuse has also affected the way she parents her children; she thinks she is very over-protective.
Verity wants to raise awareness that people like Mr Davies, who enjoy a high standing in small communities, are very powerful. She remembers older children making comments about his behaviour, which she didn’t understand at the time. She believes there was some knowledge in the community of Mr Davies’ behaviour, but no one ever challenged him.
She thinks children today are more aware and have more confidence to speak out about abuse.