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 Thomas-Johns experienceThomas-John says that publicity about child sexual abuse has helped him understand his experiences
Thomas-John was affected for most of his adult life by sexual abuse that he was subjected to in the post-war years.
More recently, he has acknowledged what happened to him, and made a great effort to understand it and find inner peace.
read full account of Georges experienceGeorge is angry that he was sexually abused in the navy and hopes others will come forward
George says his family life was ‘not great’. In his mid-teens he left home and joined the navy hoping to find a better existence.
He was drafted on board a ship where there was an officer in the same sleeping quarters called Denis. Denis presented himself as a friend to the young sailor, but George now feels that the officer groomed him.
read full account of Maddys experienceMaddy says abusive behaviour was normalised in the 1970s with talk of ‘dirty old men’
Maddy grew up in a small town in the early 1970s.
She was sexually abused by a school caretaker. It was only years later she realised the extent of how he abused her.
read full account of Peytons experiencePeyton says ‘Not a day goes by where I don’t think of the girl I could have been’
Peyton gives a written account of a young life impacted by a catalogue of neglect and abuse.
She is critical of some individuals in authority who judged her and disbelieved her, and generous in her praise of others who helped and supported her.
read full account of Raphaels experienceRaphael says the individual who abused him ‘knew very well the power he had over people who believed’
Raphael attended a Catholic school.
He describes his family as devout Catholics and says it was always inevitable he would be sent to such a school.
read full account of Katherines experienceA teacher at Katherine’s school suggested she buy a lock for her bedroom door
Katherine’s father sexually abused her for the first time on her fifth birthday and continued to do so for several years.
Katherine describes her childhood as ‘a tough time’. The family struggled financially and she remembers a lot of rows and tension between her parents.
read full account of Alyssas experienceAlyssa says ‘I was getting the attention online that I never got elsewhere’
Alyssa was an only child and her mum was a single parent who worked long hours.
Lonely and isolated at home, Alyssa began chatting on online sites that were supposed to be for children, but were also frequented by adult sexual abusers.
read full account of Alicias experienceAlicia’s care records from when she was a small child describe her as ‘sexually provocative’
Alicia suffered violence and neglect from her mother and sexual abuse while she was in the care system.
She works hard to be a good parent, and says ‘To do that, I have to heal myself, which is why I’m here today’.
read full account of Catrionas experienceCatriona wanted to go into care, but the social worker said she was being ‘dramatic’
Catriona grew up in chaos and neglect, with violent parents who took little interest in her beyond abusing her and using her to get state benefits.
She made this statement as a teenager when she was in care: ‘I just want clean clothes, food, and a routine where I can go to school and get my GCSEs’.
read full account of Theodores experienceTheodore says his early experiences gave him a ‘skewed view of relationships and what was normal’
Theodore was born in the 1950s. During his childhood and teenage years he was subjected to a catalogue of sexual abuse by several different perpetrators.
At the time, he believed he was responsible. He still struggles with this feeling today, but he understands that his abusive childhood made him vulnerable.
read full account of Shonas experienceShona says of her father ‘I still get that sick feeling … if I see someone who looks like him’
Shona’s father was in the army. He sexually abused her and was also physically and emotionally abusive to her.
After she left home, he stalked her.
read full account of Lillys experienceLilly says she had to learn how to be a good parent as she had only known neglect and abuse
One of Lilly’s early memories is regularly seeing her mother with black eyes caused by her father. After a ‘huge argument’ between her parents, her mother left home. She remembers screaming as her mother walked away and ‘never looked back’.
Left with their father, Lilly and her brother were severely neglected. She says there was never any food in the house and they were often ‘starving’.