Being sexually abused had a drastic effect on Rosalind’s behaviour at school
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Rosalind was sexually abused by the father of two of her friends.
She became badly behaved at school and depressed, and started self-harming.
Rosalind grew up in a small community, and says she had a supportive family.
She had two friends at primary school who lived in what she describes as a ‘weird house’. They didn’t have basic furnishings and at school the two friends were often hungry and stole food from other children’s lunch boxes. However, Rosalind says that as a young child, she didn’t question the way they were.
Over one summer, when she was seven years old, Rosalind was sexually abused by the father of these friends. She explains that the father made Rosalind touch him, but he did not touch her. She remembers not wanting to do what he was asking, but says that at the time, she didn’t know how wrong it was.
Rosalind still played with her friends, but she knows that after that summer her behaviour changed significantly. She had always loved school and been well-behaved and done well with her studies, but this changed; she didn’t want to do anything, and started ‘messing about’ and distracting other children.
By the time she started secondary school, Rosalind was self-harming. She had also started feeling depressed but she did not connect this with the abuse until she was in her early teens, when she told her older sister about it.
Her sister told a teacher at school, and the next day, Rosalind was taken out of lessons and questioned. Her parents were also told. However, she became scared and denied what had happened.
About three years later, the friends’ father was prosecuted for abusing other girls and sent to prison. Rosalind says her parents realised her original story was true and were very distressed. They tried to persuade Rosalind to go to the police but she says she couldn’t face going through it, especially as the abuser was already behind bars.
Rosalind wishes that teachers at primary school had questioned the major change in her behaviour. She believes that good training about child sexual abuse is essential for school staff, as is awareness raising for parents and children.
She feels her life could have been very different for her if she hadn’t been abused. It affected her academic qualifications and career and she thinks she could have done better.
She hopes that in the future she may be able to progress her career and continue to try to live a happy life.