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 Patricias experiencePatricia says ‘You can’t bury this and function normally’
Patricia didn’t tell anyone she was being sexually abused by a teacher in her primary school.
Her parents were separated and she says ‘I didn’t want to give my mum anything to worry about’.
read full account of Dannys experienceDanny does not think boarding schools ‘are a good idea for children’
Danny was eight years old when he was sent to boarding school.
He was sexually abused by other pupils and a teacher. He feels the culture of this school, and others like it, encourage abuse.
read full account of Amelies experienceAmelie says there should be more rigorous scrutiny of foster parents
Amelie suffered sexual and emotional abuse by the biological daughter of her foster parents.
Amelie’s foster mother threw her out when Amelie told her what her daughter was doing.
read full account of Scotts experienceScott says that a spell in prison was easier than his time in a children’s care home
When Scott was six months old, he and his two siblings were placed in a convent care home run by nuns. Their parents’ marriage had broken down and their mum had left.
A relative removed the two older siblings from the convent, but Scott was left there until he was 16. He was subjected to harsh punishments in the home and sexual abuse by a man who claimed to be helping with his health issues.
read full account of Dawneys experienceDawney describes people who have been sexually abused as ‘a walking wounded community’
Dawney suffered violent abuse from her birth family and her foster family, and was also sexually abused in both settings.
She would like to see a specific department within social services to support people who have been abused.
read full account of Tracey-Anns experienceTracey-Ann says ‘There is no such thing as bad children, only children that have been dealt a bad hand’
Tracey-Ann describes a childhood of “abject terror”, with sexual abuse and domestic violence. Her earliest memory is being abused by her babysitter who later became her stepfather.
She describes how she and her siblings were terrorised by their stepfather. He would wait until they were asleep, then drag them from their beds while wearing a mask.
read full account of Eddas experienceEdda asked her social worker to place her far away from the abusers, but she was ignored
Edda’s early life was chaotic and deprived.
This led to her being sexually abused over a period of seven years, by a series of men.
read full account of Isabels experienceIsabel says ‘it’s been a very beneficial experience to speak openly to the Truth Project’
A threatening and disturbing event that happened on a school trip abroad terrified Isabel at the time. The lack of an appropriate response by school staff compounded her distress and had a lasting effect on her wellbeing.
Isabel had been very excited about the trip to a foreign city. The group of teenagers stayed in a youth hostel and she shared a large dormitory with other girls. One night several men came into the room to move some mattresses. Isabel and the other girls felt uncomfortable and disturbed that this had happened. They complained but the teachers and hostel staff did not seem to take their concerns seriously.
read full account of Melvins experienceMelvin observes ‘Sometimes the friendliest, most personable people are the worst abusers’
When Melvin was sexually abused at the age of nine, he felt able to tell his loving and supportive parents what had happened.
But the following year, the local vicar began grooming him and then sexually abusing him. The abuser was liked and respected by Melvin’s church-going family, and the local parish community. This caused great confusion for Melvin, and made it impossible for him to speak out about the abuse.
read full account of Joanies experienceJoanie says ‘I have a massive conflict. I know now it was sexual abuse but I don’t feel like a victim’
Joanie was sexually abused by a family friend who groomed her into believing he was her boyfriend.
She only realised she had been abused when she was an adult, and she still feels very confused about it.
read full account of Vaughans experienceVaughan is taking action against his former boarding school
Vaughan was sent to a boarding school where he describes a culture of ‘toxic masculinity’ that was accepted as normal.
He knew there was no point reporting the bullying or the sexual abuse he suffered at school. There was no pastoral care and no one for children to turn to if they were upset.
read full account of Adas experienceAda was sexually abused by a police officer, but was advised by the police not to go to court
The police officer who sexually abused Ada was dealt with in an internal police investigation.
The police told Ada it was better not to prosecute him because her name would probably be made public.