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 Lexis experienceThe police said sexual abuse of Lexi by teenage boys was ‘experimenting’
When she was about 18 months old, Lexi’s father took her from her mother and they moved into a block of flats.
The father of another family sexually abused Lexi when she was a small child. As a young teenager, she suffered further sexual abuse from teenage neighbours. The police dismissed her as an unreliable witness.
read full account of Tamsins experienceTamsin was sexually abused by a man who groomed her and her parents to alienate them from each other
Larry was the choirmaster at Tamsin’s church. He sexually abused her but convinced Tamsin that she was having a ‘normal’ relationship with him.
She was in her early teens – he was in his late 30s and married.
read full account of Samuals experienceSamual says ‘I have spent 40 years building defences because no one supported me’
Samual suffered a family tragedy and then a priest, who was supposed to support him, sexually abused him.
He believes that this could have been prevented if he had had counselling to help him manage the effects of trauma from his grief and loss.
read full account of Alyss experienceAlys was not supported by her family or any services after she reported she was being sexually abused
Alys was sexually abused for many years by her alcoholic father.
Her mother was angry that she reported the abuse, and her experiences with the police and the courts added to her trauma even more.
read full account of Alises experienceAlise’s mother suggested she should move to a children’s home to get away from her abusive father
Family members and a health worker knew that Alise was being sexually abused by her father.
But, she says, ‘Nobody did anything … people didn’t talk about stuff then’.
read full account of Jodies experienceIn desperation, Jodie wrote in her school book ‘I really need help’
Jodie was groomed by four men and subjected to serious sexual abuse by a larger group of males.
There were many obvious indications that she was leading an extremely troubled life, but no institutions intervened effectively.
read full account of Marias experienceMaria says 'I can't remember a time when I didn't know what sex was'
As a baby Maria was removed from her mother’s care after being found alone and neglected. Her father worked away and could not look after Maria so she was placed with her grandparents.
There she was sexually abused by a lodger and two of her uncles. Later, she bravely protected her younger sister from the same fate.
read full account of Zacharys experienceZachary says ‘I wish I could go back to the boy I was when I was eight. I was very happy’
During his early years, Zachary was raised by his grandparents.
His stability and wellbeing were shattered when his mother took him away. She lived with her female partner, who psychologically and sexually abused Zachary, and later became violent towards him.
read full account of Zaras experienceZara says her abuser was at least ‘buying us school uniforms and clothes’
When Zara was about five years old, she and her sister were taken into care because their mother, who was an alcoholic, was incapable of looking after them.
A family acquaintance took advantage of their need for basic care and necessities and groomed them for abuse.
read full account of Erics experienceEric says ‘I wouldn’t want anyone to go into a children’s home’
Eric suffered appalling abuse in children’s homes during the 1970s and 80s.
His experiences have convinced him that children in care should never be placed in residential institutions.
read full account of Hurriyas experienceIt took more than 40 years for Hurriya to understand the impact abuse had on her life
Hurriya was about five or six years old when she was sexually abused by a male teacher, Mr A, at her primary school.
Her experiences led her into a number of abusive relationships, but her growing self-awareness, supported by therapy, has helped her realise how she has been affected by the abuse.
read full account of Carolinas experienceCarolina is concerned that deaf children who are sexually abused do not get enough support
Carolina is deaf and was sexually abused when she was seven years old.
She says she wants to share her experience to help make sure that deaf children who suffer similar experiences are protected and supported.