For survivors telling our story is an important part of the healing process. The pictures we have posted here not only represent the unfathomable number of those that were affected by childhood sexual abuse, but they also represent a community of people who are dedicated to supporting the healing and recovering journey. Please join us by submitting a picture and caption that you are comfortable sharing.
Your submissions can be scanned or e-mailed to
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or you can mail them to the address listed on the contact page.
(we will return original photos upon request)
"Healing takes courage, and we all have courage, even if we have to dig a little to find it."~Tori Amos
MEN AND WOMEN OF STRENGTH AND COURAGE TO RECOVER, HEAL, AND TO EDUCATE THE WORLD ABOUT THE EFFECTS OF CHILDHOOD SEXUAL ABUSE TO AN ADULT'S LIFE.
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 My name is Michael B. and I was physically, emotionally, and sexually abused by my stepfather from age 6 to16, when he wasn't doing the same to my sister. Many people knew and nobody ever helped. To this day I feel shame and guilt over what I experienced. Please, please listen when a child asks for help. |
 My name is Martin. I live in Switzerland. I was sexually abused by my father and uncles between ages. 4 to 12. I was totally shattered and only now beginning to rebuild my life. |
 I hope I can inspire someone else to overcome something like this. |
 My twin sister and I grew up physically abused and neglected, forced to live with a drunk in a place with no water, electricity, heat, food, or clean clothes. The darkest secret I never came out with was the molestation from our father. I kept quiet until it was too late and he killed my twin sister. |
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137 - Bill (United States) |
 Now 67 and just starting heal! |
 Healing one day at a time, and I have learned to never give up on myself. |
I'm 20 and just coming to terms in the last 2 months with the sexual abuse I experienced from when I was 13-19. When I was 13 and realizing that I was gay, I was alone in a homophobic household and a Catholic school. To find other gay people, validation, and someone to talk to, I went online. It didn't take long for men to begin messaging me, and they gave me lots of attention and praise. As time went on, they began pushing boundaries and getting me to talk about sex. I had no idea what they looked like most of the time, just hearing their voice on a mic or seeing a small thumbnail. Soon they were getting me to strip for them on cam, take nude photos, or act out for role plays.There were dozens of men and they had taught me that this was the way to explore and express my sexuality, using me to act out their fantasies.
This went on for years, and as I grew up I would meet with dozens more strangers in person and let them use my body. Married men, divorced men, single ones, straight, bi, gay, men in their 20s to men in their 60s...I felt that this was all I deserved and continued to seek out this abuse as if I wanted it. I have never been with someone who loved or respected me, never had a relationship. Everyday is a challenge, & the worst part is I have so much guilt and fear/anger towards myself. They often exposed me to child porn which has been coming back to me in flashbacks and panic attacks. These men have left me empty.
The anxiety and depression I'm experiencing is forcing me to look at my life, work to change it, and take steps to heal. I've told several of my close friends, started on anti-depressants, and I'm searching for a therapist. Seeing stories from other survivors saddens me yet motivates me to connect with and help others. My recovery is just beginning, and I'm doing it with all of you. |
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134 - Aida (United States) |
I have never felt more alone as I do now. I have no support. I have not found therapy which if it is free, the therapist is usually just a student. I have not found help at this time and I don’t have money for a psychiatrist. It has really hit me hard the last 5 years which I have made new discoveries that have really knocked me down even more.
I was molested by a family member. It is important for my sister that I specify that it was not my father. I was 8 years old and this family member continued to try to molest me until I was 14 or so. The day he began he had me sit on his lap and told me that we were going to keep a secret. When he started to do so, the molestation, it was like I got shot, emotionally I was devastated. I excused myself to go to the bathroom and locked myself in there for more than 2 hours. I thought only of how I could escape from that house. My parents had sent me with family to the USA from our country in SA so that I could start school in August and so my parents were still in South America. I didn’t speak English. How could I escape and run away and where would I go? I felt so much hate from there on for this individual. I didn’t tell my parents until I was 14 years old. I was always trying to protect my sister. One of the saddest consequences of the molestation is that I no longer was close to my dad. I used to be very close. After this I never wanted my dad to hug me or even touch me. I just automatically rejected him. My problems didn’t stop there, when I did tell my parents they made me confront this family member, giving him a chance to defend himself. That was the end of it and we continued to visit each other as if nothing had happened. This family which is my family also has always tried to invent stories about me trying to make me look like a liar and trying to change my reputation. Thank God I have been fortunate that I have not had any addictions and have had a relatively normal life. But they did manage to mess up my reputation because people like to believe the worst about others.
Years later I found out there were other cases of sexual abuse with other cousins in the family. I also found out that my parents were aware of what had happened to these cousins before they sent me with them to the USA. These cases had happened about 12 years before it happened to me, yet they still sent me with them. I don’t understand and I question this. I noticed how they would always speak in a condescending manner criticizing these individuals (these cousins who were abused) in the family making them look bad, the same as they have done with me. I understand now that the reason they do this is to ruin our reputation in case we were to speak out than hopefully no one would believe us. This is very hard because I have felt alone, ashamed to come from a family like this one where there are cases of incest. I feel like I can’t have a normal life. I always wanted to have my own family and because of all my problems I have become alienated and have not been able to get out there and meet someone. Since I am suffering, I don’t feel like I’m ready to meet someone. I feel who would want to become part of my family. I have also had a very unstable working situation. I am doing classes on spiritual growth, a class called “Overcoming Self-sabotage”, and it is helping me get over “toxic emotions” and provide myself my essential needs. This is what has led me to doing this. This is one of my core needs, to speak out and to get support. I need to tell my story and I want to put my grain in the sand towards working to bring awareness to sexual abuse and particularly child abuse. I feel that this is my mission in life. I have hit rock bottom, I have felt like I don’t want to live anymore, I have had depression and I’m working everyday towards feeling good. I have seen “The Secret” and I understand that emotionally I have to work towards feeling good so that I can attract everything I want and need in life and especially all that is positive. I understand that feeling bad can attract the opposite, very difficult situations. I now work on spiritual growth and I thank one therapist that led me in the direction of the Zen and Asian philosophy. This has helped tremendously. I continue on my journey towards this spiritual growth. I am still very weak and I need help and support. |
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