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 Damons experienceDamon says ‘I had been groomed so well I was like a magnet for paedophiles’
Damon was groomed, abused and sexualised by a teacher at his boarding school.
These experiences resulted in him behaving for many years in extreme ways that endangered his physical and mental health.
read full account of Rays experienceRay struggles to cope with flashbacks of sexual abuse
Ray describes having had a difficult life. He has had to cope with mental health issues which have continued since childhood.
In recent years, he was visited by a friend who mentioned their time together in the Cub Scouts. This triggered flashback episodes for Ray, with fragmented memories of sexual abuse.
read full account of Norahs experienceNorah says ‘People just didn’t believe kids in those days’
Norah told her mother, a GP, two teachers and a counsellor that her father was sexually abusing her.
Norah wonders if no action was taken because she wasn’t being raped, or because her father was ‘middle class and articulate’ and they seemed such an ‘ordinary’ family.
read full account of Caroles experienceCarole says she still lives with a feeling of being ‘damaged’
Carole’s foster father sexually abused her, then claimed it was a ‘consensual relationship’.
The abuse caused conflicting emotions for her that still affect her.
read full account of Maddoxs experienceMaddox says his mantra is ‘I shouldn’t be ashamed – the secret is the perpetrator’s, not mine’
Maddox was educated at a prestigious Catholic boarding school during the 1970s.
He was a high-achieving pupil until his life was devastated by sexual abuse, perpetrated by a teacher.
read full account of Donals experienceDonal says ‘I hope in future children can be made more aware of their rights over their own bodies’
Donal says that until reports of child sexual abuse began to emerge in recent years, ‘I thought I was the only one, or at least one of a handful’.
He adds ‘I find it distressing and hard to believe how common the sexual abuse of children has turned out to be’.
read full account of Lucys experienceLucy’s trauma has caused lifelong problems for herself and her family
Hospitalised at the age of 11 years because of an assault by her mother, Lucy was taken into care and placed with a foster family. There, she was raped repeatedly by a violent man and his two teenage sons.
Lucy’s attempts to seek justice have not succeeded and she has suffered severe mental health difficulties. Despite this, she has managed to build strong and happy relationships with her family and loved ones.
read full account of Lorenas experienceLorena didn’t say she was being abused in care because she felt it was her ‘last chance’ to be adopted
Lorena was sexually abused by two males in her adoptive family.
She feels she would have had more chance of a ‘normal life’ if she had been placed with her extended family.
read full account of Zaks experienceWhen Zak saw the man who abused him as a child, he beat him up
Zak was sexually abused by his mother’s partner and accomplices of this man.
He wants to highlight how child sexual abuse can be a factor in criminal behaviour for victims and survivors.
read full account of Sheridyns experienceSheridyn says ‘Hiding issues will never solve them’
The man who abused Sheridyn was a respected figure in her church.
She was encouraged to forgive him when he apologised, but in later years has felt guilty that the abuse was not reported to the police.
read full account of Breens experienceBreen had to endure two court cases before the relative who abused her was convicted
Breen had a chaotic home life, and was often left in the care of her older brother, who sexually abused her over four years.
She gave evidence against him in court on two occasions, and the ordeal of this and the abuse has had a significant effect on her life.
read full account of Victors experienceVictor says ‘I asked myself, who’d believe you?’ and kept silent about being sexually abused in custody
Victor had a troubled home life that led to him receiving custodial sentences – the first when he was a young teenager.
He was repeatedly physically and sexually abused in two institutions by the same person in authority, who also stalked him and abused him again after he was released.