Jess saw no point reporting the abuse she suffered, because no one ever helped her
All names and identifying details have been changed.
Participants have given us permission to share their experiences.
Jess and her sister were sent to live in a children’s home and were both sexually abused there.
Tragically, her sister took her own life and Jess wants to share her experience to help more people understand the pain and harm that abuse causes.
After Jess’s father left home, her mother struggled to cope and badly neglected her children.
When Jess was five years old, she and one of her sisters were placed in a children’s home.
The matron in charge of the home lived in the premises with her husband. He started sexually abusing Jess and her sister almost immediately after they arrived.
Jess believes that he was abusing other children in the home and she feels strongly that many of the staff, including the matron, knew what was happening. She adds that she and her sister told their mum about the abuse, but she dismissed them and did nothing.
Even after Jess and her sister left the children’s home, the abuser would follow them and he continued to abuse them.
By this time, Jess’s mum had met another man and had more children. She didn’t care for Jess and her sister and they were often cold and hungry; Jess remembers that they used to eat raw potatoes and had to share one pair of shoes.
Neglected and vulnerable, Jess was sexually abused by three different adult males at different times. These men were family ‘friends’ and again, Jess told her mum she was being abused but her mum took no action.
Jess was taken into care again when she was 13. She was being bullied but says she felt there was no point in telling anyone as no one had ever helped her before.
Eventually, Jess was taken to a hostel where the staff were kind and allowed her to take care of the pets.
Jess has suffered with depression and finds it hard to trust people.
She would like to see staff in children’s homes being strictly vetted before being offered jobs. She thinks that people in positions of trust should look out for changes in children’s behaviour and signs of neglect.
She always loved animals and says this has given her much comfort. She feels she can trust animals but not people.