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 Ebrahs experienceBeing abused makes Ebrah feel ashamed, and she wants to spare her mother the same feeling
Ebrah moved from southwestern Asia to the UK when she was a small child.
She was sexually abused by the husband of a religious education teacher.
read full account of Evies experienceEvie says ‘My first memory of hating myself is aged six’
Evie’s parents were alcoholics and drug users. They inflicted severe emotional and physical damage on Evie and her older brother.
Further horror was inflicted on her by her older brother, who sexually abused her when she was between the ages of six and 12 years.
read full account of Yvettes experienceYvette feels the Jehovah’s Witness faith made her tough childhood even worse
Yvette was sexually abused by her father and her boyfriend, both of whom were Jehovah’s Witnesses.
When she told the elders about it, they ordered her to study the bible.
read full account of Nialls experienceNiall says he would never have sent his children to a school like the one he attended
Niall was sent to a Catholic school run by clergy who seemed to enjoy being brutal and abusive.
His experiences left him with a lasting aversion to religion and religious education.
read full account of Daphnes experienceDaphne says ‘I had no idea what grooming was … I thought I loved him’
A cadet instructor groomed and sexually abused Daphne when she was a young teenager.
He got married when he was still abusing Daphne, and often told her that he loved her.
read full account of Brians experienceBrian felt ‘almost paralysed by the memories’ of the sexual abuse he endured
Brian was sexually abused by his father for many years. Lack of support for his mental health problems, and his concern about the possible risk to children in his father’s new family, have added to his distress.
Brian says both his parents worked in good professions and his father was a figure of some importance in the community.
read full account of Camilles experienceCamille feels that open discussion about sexual abuse can help protect children
Camille’s family was known to social services because her father was alcoholic and abusive.
Camille was sexually abused by two of her uncles and wishes that social workers had talked to her about what her life was like.
read full account of Pablos experiencePablo says male victims and survivors of abuse can be particularly affected when they become parents
The first time Pablo realised the enormity of his childhood sexual abuse was when he discovered he was going to become a father.
Pablo was brought up by his mother, who was unable to show love to her children, and instead focused on her work and relationships with men. She married several times; one of her husbands regularly beat Pablo, another was an abusive alcoholic who terrified him.
read full account of Rubens experienceRuben cannot understand why he and his siblings were left so long in appalling conditions at home
Ruben and his two siblings lived with their mother, who was abusive and neglectful.
She often went out and left them in the care of a teenage neighbour, who sexually abused all three children. Ruben says the way he feels about the abuse is almost secondary to his anger that social services did not remove the children from their mother.
read full account of Fletchers experienceFletcher was a GI baby who was put into care with no one to look out for him
Fletcher was born towards the end of the Second World War. His mother was English and married to a British soldier who was serving overseas. His father was a black American GI.
Handed over to the care system, Fletcher was sexually abused by the headteacher of a boys’ home.
read full account of Brindas experienceBrinda made a big effort at home and at school to hide any signs she was being sexually abused
Brinda was raised in a strict family with traditional South Asian values.
She thinks the man who raped her relied on the fact she would not tell anyone because of her background.
read full account of Adeles experienceAdele says if social workers had listened to her sister, she might not also have been abused by her father
Adele was sexually abused by her father over two years.
Social workers were involved with her family because of allegations made by her sister, but they did not see that Adele was at risk.