I was 13 when my life changed. My dads best friend had always made me feel uneasy but I never thought anything of it at the time but now looking back the winks, the slapping my bum as he passed was not normal behavior. One night he went out with my dad to a festival and got very drunk. I was asleep when they came home. That night will haunt me forever but I am doing my best to overcome this. When I spoke out to the police i was pregnant, a lot of my family turned their back on my calling me a liar or a slut. I was 13. I couldn’t cope after I had the abortion and went into a very bad place and self-harmed a lot. I regret the abortion more than the night.
As i cant physically speak out as i cant lose any more family or friend it had become my dirty little secret so I thought that’s would be the next best thing speaking out anonymously.
— Survivor, age 18
Dear survivor – thank you so much for sharing your story here. I’m so grateful you felt safe to post it and honored to be a witness to it. First I want to say that I believe you and what happened to you was NOT your fault. You are not a slut or a liar and I’m so sorry that anyone said that to you.
As for the abortion, please try not to be so hard on yourself. Much easier said than done I know. But you were so young and you did the best you could with what you knew at the time and what the circumstances were then. You were SO brave to speak out to the police. So often the response is what you experienced but that does NOT mean it was your fault or relinquish him of his guilt.
I would encourage you to talk to a therapist about what happened and what you’re feeling. I know you can heal from this; it’ll take time and a lot of work but I believe in you because you deserve to heal. Sending you love and support and light, Alexis