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 Carys experienceCary was sexually abused by two different men in positions of trust
Cary describes a distant relationship with his parents.
He formed attachments to other adults, but was abused by them.
read full account of Eleris experienceHaving been forced to cover up that she was being abused, Eleri says ‘The truth matters’
Decades after Eleri was sexually abused by her foster father, Tim, she faced him in court.
Although she was devastated at the time that he was not convicted, she still feels that she gained something from the courage she showed in reporting the abuse, and giving evidence in relation to the abuse in court.
read full account of Kylas experienceKyla feels she was let down by the care system and the police
Kyla’s parents were drug addicts who did not show any love to their children.
After they got divorced, the children were sent to different carers for respite periods. Kyla was sexually abused by the adult son of her foster parents.
read full account of Tommies experienceTommie feels guilt and frustration that as a child, he was not able to say that he was being abused
Tommie attended a small village primary school. When he was seven years old, his class teacher, Mr Dunn, sexually abused him on multiple occasions throughout the whole school year.
He says that as a child he was ‘as quiet as a mouse’, and he believes this was why Mr Dunn singled him out for sexual abuse.
read full account of Beverleys experienceThe priest who sexually abused Beverley ‘fitted in with the family and was very fun to be around’
Beverley was born into a large religious family. She went to church every week and she attended the church school.
One day a new priest arrived, and Beverley says her mother ‘took him under her wing’. Edwin would visit their home frequently and have dinner with the family.
read full account of Davinas experienceDavina was sexually abused and underfed in foster care, but her social worker decided she was a liar
Davina has discovered from her social services files that when she was a small child, she was labelled a ‘liar’ by her social worker.
No action was taken when she reported that her foster carer’s son had sexually abused her, or when she was hospitalised with malnourishment.
read full account of Aparnas experienceAparna feels guilt that she didn’t report she was being abused, even though she was a small child
Aparna’s life has been devastated by sexual abuse she suffered as a child.
The abuser went on to hurt other children and she struggles to forgive herself for not stopping him, although she understands it is not her fault.
read full account of Raouls experienceSafeguarding training made Raoul realise how he had been affected by sexual abuse as a child
After being sexually abused in a young offenders’ institution, Raoul got into more trouble.
He has now turned his life around and coaches young people.
read full account of Bellas experienceBella can remember that when she was growing up that she always ‘felt different’
Bella’s abuser was known to her parents because of his connection with the church. He was also in charge of a youth group. She can remember being abused by him twice, once in his house and once in the back of a shop.
Although she had a good memory from when she was little, it was only during psychotherapy treatment that memories of abuse started to come back to her.
read full account of Bridgets experienceBridget says she feels stupid that abuse that lasted for 30 seconds had such an awful effect on her
When Bridget was 10 she was groomed by a member of her church.
He was so popular and charismatic that no one saw what he was doing.
read full account of Ashers experienceAfter his father sexually abused a child, Asher was himself sexually abused by a member of his foster family
Asher’s young life was blighted twice over by sexual abuse.
He now uses his experiences to mentor troubled young people and support victims and survivors.
read full account of Kit s experienceKit says if there had been more supervision when he went on a Scout trip, he might not have been abused
Kit was bullied in the Cub Scouts, so he was pleased when an older boy befriended him.
But the teenager sexually abused him over several nights on a camping trip.