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 Roberts experienceRobert’s struggle for recognition of his abuse keeps him ‘in the past and feeling abused’
Robert was sexually abused by his father but for years he suppressed the memory and impact of this by throwing himself into his work.
A revelation by his brother that he had been abused in the same way caused Robert to have a breakdown. His attempts to gain redress through official channels have been thwarted by what he describes as series of obstructive and inappropriate actions by people in authority.
read full account of Philida-May s experiencePhilida-May doesn’t know how old she was when she was abused; in care no one marked her birthdays
Philida-May was three years old when her mum died, and she has no memory of her.
She was sent to a care home where she experienced no warmth, encouragement or joy, only neglect and abuse.
read full account of Stefan s experienceStefan says ‘The headmaster was the most powerful person in my world and he did nothing’
For years, Stefan felt more angry with the headmaster who covered up sexual abuse in his school than he did with the people who abused him.
He now volunteers with an organisation that supports male victims and survivors of sexual abuse.
read full account of Evins experienceThe priest who abused Evin was convicted twice, but the church would not formally acknowledge his guilt
Evin and his brother were sexually abused by a priest, Father Y, who groomed them and manipulated their parents.
Evin feels he received a poor response from the Church of England when he reported the abuse, and believes the institution cares more about protecting itself than the victims.
read full account of Tims experienceThe headmaster who sexually abused Tim was moved to other schools and evidence was destroyed by the church
Tim recalls how pleased he and his family were when he was allocated a place at the local church school. He says the headmaster ‘took a shine’ to him – he chose Tim to join the school choir and often called him to his office to read aloud and take tests.
But it was not long before the nature of these sessions changed. While Tim was reading, the headmaster began touching him inappropriately, before sending him back to class. Tim did not understand what was going on.
read full account of Ashleighs experienceAshleigh’s experiences with the police made her feel there was ‘no point’ reporting sexual abuse
Ashleigh was raped when she was nine years old.
She didn’t understand what had happened to her, and she was just as confused by the police investigation that followed
read full account of Edisons experienceEdison experienced humiliation and betrayal when he reported sexual abuse
Edison grew up witnessing regular violence from his stepfather towards his mother. After the couple separated, his mother believed the reason her son continued to spend time with her ex-partner was that their relationship had survived the marital breakdown.
In fact, Edison’s stepfather was sexually abusing him, and threatened to kill Edison and his mother if he stopped visiting or told anyone.
read full account of Mayans experienceMayan says ‘If someone had helped my father when he asked, my whole life would have been different’
After her mother left home, Mayan was sexually abused by her father.
She later found out that he recognised his inappropriate sexual feelings and had asked the church and the police for help before he started abusing her.
read full account of Davide s experienceDavide feels he has a ‘dark side’ to his character as a result of being abused
Davide was a member of a sports club and he enjoyed training and competing.
The seemingly respectable president of this club groomed and abused him, and trafficked him to other abusers in the nearby town.
read full account of Stanleys experienceStanley was sexually abused by a manager in a care home. The police laughed about it
As a young teenager, Stanley committed a minor offence. He was sentenced to three months in a detention centre where brutal physical abuse was inflicted on youngsters.
It was during the 1970s that Stanley was given a custodial sentence for trespassing on state property. Initially there was no room for him in the detention centre, so he was held for a short time in a children’s home.
read full account of Prishas experiencePrisha says ‘The awful thing about abuse as a child is you don’t even know you’re being abused’
Prisha was sexually abused by two people as a child, and when she was 15, her parents tried to force her into marriage.
She is concerned that some professionals try to explain away abuse in some communities as ‘cultural differences’.
read full account of Zanthes experienceZanthe says she is determined to keep her children safe ‘so that history does not repeat itself’
Zanthe grew up in a chaotic household where her parents abused drugs, neglected their children and set no boundaries.
She was sexually abused by dozens of men as a young teenager, but did not realise it was abuse until she was an adult.