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 Milas experienceMila’s childhood experiences of abuse led to her seeking out more people who abused her
Mila endured neglect, lack of love and sexual abuse throughout her childhood.
Her experiences left her feeling that she did not deserve to be treated well. ‘I didn’t understand love’ she says.
read full account of Aluns experienceAlun says the therapy he received in prison ‘turned everything around for me’
When Alun was being abused as a child, he tried to ask adults for help.
It was only when he was sent to prison that he got the support he needed.
read full account of Joyces experienceJoyce says that being sexually abused ‘robbed me of my childhood and the person I was meant to be’
Joyce was sexually abused by her older brother for as far back as she can remember.
When she told her parents, they frightened her into withdrawing what she had said.
read full account of Davys experienceDavy says child protection is essential, not a case of society becoming too ‘politically correct’
Davy was groomed and sexually abused by a female teacher at his secondary school.
Looking back on his childhood, he thinks that the difficulties his parents faced caused him to be vulnerable.
read full account of Yvonnes experienceYvonne says ‘I now realise it wasn’t my fault, I wasn’t to blame, I couldn’t have stopped it’
Yvonne grew up in a disrupted family. Before she was in her teens, she had been subjected to sexual abuse at the hands of three men.
Her father, who had physically abused Yvonne and her siblings, took his own life when she was about four or five years old.
read full account of Lauries experienceLaurie says ‘I feel that my childhood innocence was brutally snatched from me at such a young age’
As a young boy, Laurie was subjected to sexual abuse by three different men. He did not speak about this in detail for nearly 60 years.
He has reported the perpetrators to the police and says he feels relieved ‘it is now out in the open’.
read full account of Angels experienceAngel says that being let down by the system can make a child feel abused all over again
Angel was sexually abused by her father for as long as she can remember, up until she was in her early teens.
She would like an apology from the authorities for mistakes that were made in dealing with her case.
read full account of Evelines experienceEveline says she learned at a young age not to trust people
Eveline’s mother married a man who had served a prison sentence for rape.
He sexually abused Eveline throughout her childhood, and as an adult she helped secure a conviction against him.
read full account of Ricks experienceRick’s school was supposed to provide stability for the children of army personnel
Rick lived with his mother and stepfather, who was in the armed forces.
He was sent to an army boarding school run by a sadistic and abusive headteacher.
read full account of Simons experienceSimon was sexually abused in the care system and came to the Truth Project to help others change their lives
Neglected and physically abused by his birth mother, Simon spent his childhood in the care system, where he was subjected to serial sexual abuse.
He feels deep empathy for others who have suffered in a similar way and wants to use his experiences to help victims and survivors of child sexual abuse.
read full account of Neils experienceNeil discovered his father had also been sexually abused at school
Neil went to a private school. He describes it as extremely competitive, with a ‘lonely and sad’ atmosphere.
He was sexually and emotionally abused by a teacher, which caused him great distress. He felt able to speak out about what was happening after his father warned him about the possibility of abuse by teachers.
read full account of Carltons experienceCarlton says ‘Not a day goes by when I don’t think about my time in that house’
Carlton’s mother died when he was a small boy. He was left at the mercy of his stepfather and stepbrother, who both sexually abused him.
After many troubled years, Carlton reported the abuse to the police, but the case was badly mishandled.