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 Gayles experienceGayle says of the people who did not protect her, ‘I feel they should be made to answer for that’
As an adult, Gayle managed to access her social services files from childhood.
Although a lot of detail had been redacted, it was very painful for her to read about the abuse she suffered, and how she was let down by authorities.
read full account of Emmers experienceEmmer says ‘I can’t allow the damage done by my parents to go into my future’
Emmer’s mum and dad told her she wasn’t wanted, and her stepfather sexually abused her.
She is determined to protect her children and bring them up differently.
read full account of Dees experienceDee says that when she was fostered ‘I wasn’t any bother – I was too terrified to be any bother …’
After Dee’s father died in an accident her mother was unable to look after her.
She was sent to live with a foster family, June and Ron, and their two children. She gives a harrowing description of the neglect and abuse that she endured from the day she arrived to live with this couple.
read full account of Faiths experienceAfter sharing her experience, Faith says now ‘it is a chapter I am trying to close’
Faith was sexually abused at primary school by a boy the same age as her. She feels this later made her vulnerable to further abuse by an older male.
Faith says her family life was stable and she had supportive parents. When she was at primary school, her parents had a baby who was born with a health condition that required a lot of attention, care and treatment.
read full account of Idriss experienceIdris feels that more support should be available for older men who have survived sexual abuse
Idris was sexually abused at home by his stepfather over a period of about 10 years.
His experiences have caused him mental health problems, but he says that attending a support group for male victims and survivors is very helpful.
read full account of Henriettas experienceHenrietta writes ‘My childhood was full of adult responsibilities – sexual, household and caring’
Henrietta chose to share her experience in writing.
She gives a vivid account of a childhood of extreme neglect, chaos and abuse in the 1960s and 70s.
read full account of Deans experienceA love of music led Dean, a gifted boy, to be sexually abused
As a boy, Dean liked to sing. He gained in place in a school as a boarder where he joined the choir. The choirmaster used to take the boys to sing in the cathedral and Dean thought that singing in the cathedral was like ‘being in heaven’.
But there were two difficult things about the school that Dean accepted as being normal. One was the routine and intense physical abuse, usually caning for very minor matters. The second was the sexual intimacy between students.
read full account of Royans experienceRoyan says ‘We should learn to listen to what children say … I didn’t scream loud enough’
Royan was put in care when he was two years old.
No one believed him or took any action when he reported he had been sexually abused.
read full account of Carsons experienceCarson says the effects of child sexual abuse ‘last a lifetime, it doesn’t just get better when it stops’
For more than 40 years, Carson lived with the impact of being sexually abused as a young teenager.
He says ‘I now know it’s not my shame, but you have to work to get that message and love yourself again’.
read full account of Nats experienceNat says ‘I see how things can be triggered much later in life’
Several decades after he was sexually abused, Nat suffered a mental health crisis.
His experiences gave him insight into the provision of services and he has suggestions for ways they could be more responsive to individual needs.
read full account of Albas experienceSchool staff were well aware that one of their colleagues had crossed professional boundaries with Alba
Alba describes how as an anxious young girl, she developed a ‘crush’ on a female teacher who was married and in her 40s.
This teacher exploited the situation, groomed Alba and then sexually abused her, telling her pupil that she had started the ‘relationship’.
read full account of Gershoms experienceGershom says that when he was growing up, it was very difficult to challenge authority
Gershom was sexually abused by a teacher at his school.
More than 40 years later, seeing a Truth Project advertisement made him decide to speak about what happened, and how it has affected him.