These are some of the experiences of child sexual abuse shared with the Truth Project by victims and survivors. All names and identifying details have been changed.
Download a PDF sample of accountsread full account of Judes experienceThe church denied knowledge of the senior chorister who abused Jude
Jude grew up in Britain after the second world war and recalls how rationing was very much part of life, with treats ‘few and far between’.
When he was about 12 years old Jude joined the local church choir. But his commitment was exploited by an older chorister who sexually abused him.
read full account of Hanayas experienceHanaya struggled to get therapy when she was under 18. She didn’t want her parents to know she was abused
Hanaya says that within her family she had ‘a normal childhood with no issues’.
But she was sexually abused as a child and she wants to protect her parents from the distress of knowing about this.
read full account of Kirstens experienceKirsten says school staff should receive training on sexual abuse and trauma
Kirsten was lonely as an adolescent and this left her vulnerable to grooming and sexual abuse by an older man.
When she made it obvious she was self-harming, staff at her school said she was attention-seeking.
read full account of Deltas experienceDelta wants children and adults to be believed when they disclose childhood sexual abuse
Delta has a disability and spent some of her childhood and adolescence in residential institutions.
She was subjected to different forms of abuse, in these places and in her family home.
read full account of Laurnas experienceLaurna says ‘I wonder what person I would have been if I grew up in a house with a mum and dad’
Laurna grew up deprived of love and nurturing, and was sexually abused at home and in the care system.
She is still hoping to receive the support she has needed all her life.
read full account of Karens experienceKaren says that private and boarding schools attract people who want to sexually abuse children
The daughter of migrant parents who had high aspirations for their family’s future in the UK, Karen was sent to a private girls’ school as a boarder.
Karen was very young, the school was a long way from home and her younger sibling had sadly died in childhood. A male teacher exploited her vulnerable position to sexually abuse her and then stalk her for a time after she left the school.
read full account of Carlys experienceCarly says there needs to be more awareness of sexual abuse between children
Carly was sexually abused by a boy who was himself very young.
When her parents spoke to school staff about it, they refused to take it seriously.
read full account of Eliss experienceElis feels proud of the way he has coped with his past experiences of abuse
Elis was at secondary school when he met a supply teacher who sexually abused him.
He wonders why no one questioned that this man was spending a lot of time alone with adolescent boys.
read full account of Connors experienceConnor is concerned about provision of mental health services for victims and survivors of child sexual abuse
After counselling and treatment for a breakdown, Connor feels he has come to terms with the abuse he suffered.
He says abuse has huge consequences for people’s lives and also has wider economic consequences; he feels that good mental health support for victims and survivors is absolutely essential.
read full account of Xaviers experienceXavier finds it unbearable to think that child sexual abuse still goes on
Xavier was sent to a boarding school in the 1970s, when he was nine years old.
He was raped one night by two members of staff in an attack that was so violent, he thought he might die.
read full account of Kenny s experienceKenny says ‘society should not tolerate organisations protecting their image rather than children’
Kenny describes a happy family life with a good relationship with his parents.
They were proud that he was in the local church choir and he did not want to upset them with the ‘horrible secret’ that he was being sexually abused.
read full account of Astons experienceAston lives with the sadness of an unhappy childhood that left him vulnerable to sexual abuse
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.