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 Stephens experienceA ‘friend’ who acted as a father figure to Stephen was in fact grooming him for sexual abuse
Stephen was 10 when his father left the family home.
He was devastated by this loss, and his longing to be close to a father figure made him vulnerable to an abuser.
read full account of Gretas experienceGreta says the abusers, not the victims, should be removed from the family home
Greta never knew her birth father.
Her mother’s partner Ned was the only father she ever knew, but this man sexually abused her.
read full account of Geoffreys experienceDecades after he was sexually abused, Geoffrey still wonders if the abuser was brought to justice
Before Geoffrey joined a local youth club in the 1970s, his parents made sure they met the leader and found out more about the group.
But this did not deter the leader from grooming and sexually abusing Geoffrey.
read full account of Henrys experience60 years after being sexually abused at private school, Henry came to the Truth Project
Henry says it was difficult for him to come forward to the Truth Project; in 60 years he has never spoken about his sexual abuse to anyone other than his partner.
Henry hopes that talking about the sexual abuse he suffered will form a small but important part of the Inquiry ‘jigsaw’ and may in some way help to protect others from similar experiences.
read full account of Richards experienceRichard says that children should not be sent to boarding schools
Richard was sent to a boarding school where sexual abuse was perpetrated by staff and pupils. He feels strongly that parents should protect their children from potentially abusive environments.
When Richard was a young child, his parents divorced, and he and his mother moved to another area. Life was not easy for them, and social services became involved.
read full account of Francescas experienceFrancesca thought her controlling and manipulative father was ‘the best human being alive’
Francesca and her parents lived abroad when she was young but her mother had an affair which led to her parents separating.
Her father was very manipulative, and ensured that Francesca lived with him by threatening to kill himself if her mother did not allow this. He sexually abused his daughter for seven years, which caused lasting damage to her life.
read full account of Rowenas experienceRowena was raped when she was a child, but social services labelled her ‘promiscuous’
Rowena describes her family as quite dysfunctional. After her parents divorced, her mother struggled to manage her three children.
She believes that if her mum had had the right help and support when she became a single parent, she wouldn’t have married the man who raped Rowena’s sister.
read full account of Kiyas experience‘Once they’ve used you up and you’ve aged, they move on’ Kiya says, about men who groom children
When Kiya was 12, she was groomed and raped by a local man she met online.
More than 10 years later, she is extremely concerned that male sexual predators continue to groom and abuse young girls in her hometown.
read full account of Loiss experienceLois did not feel loved by the couple who adopted her and this was exploited by a sexual abuser
Lois was adopted in the early 1970s. She did not have a happy childhood with her adoptive parents.
When she was in her early teens a music teacher who was trusted by her parents took advantage of her vulnerability and started a sexual relationship with her.
read full account of Noras experienceNora believes that Jehovah’s Witness children are vulnerable because of the nature of the religion
Nora was brought up as a Jehovah’s Witness. She was unofficially fostered by a member of the church, who sexually abused her over 10 years.
She gives a powerful written account of her ordeal, and the control the church exerts over children.
read full account of Maristas experienceMarista says ‘I want not to feel disgusting … not to have this feeling inside me’
Marista attended a private girls’ school which she describes as focused on high academic achievers with a punitive regime.
Between the ages of 11 and 15, she was sexually abused by two teachers and other pupils suffered similar experiences. But, she says, the prevailing feeling was that ‘they had to put up with it’.
read full account of Austins experienceAustin believes that the boarding school he attended was 'the perfect environment for an abuser’
When Austin was sent to board at a preparatory school at the age of 10, he knew it cost his parents a lot of money and he was made to feel he should be grateful.
The reality of the situation was that he and many other pupils were sexually abused by a teacher.