Lauren

At the time, I thought I was the only one. Not because others hadn’t tried to speak out, but because their voices had been muted. I was young, so very young, pure and innocent. What chance did I stand against such a powerhouse? A powerhouse with an entire ecosystem of enablers.

He groomed me from childhood, under the guise of a mentor. Built my trust; supported and fuelled my academics, aspirations and ambitions for years. Soon after my 16th birthday, my illusions were shattered in a repulsive way. He didn’t anticipate the pushback from such a little bird, so profuse apologies and promises immediately ensued. My naïveté accepted, and I was lulled back into a false sense of security. But the predator always pounces again, just when the prey believes she has found safety. And thus the cycle repeats.

Over, and over, and over.

20 years later, I now know I was not the only one; far from it. To add my name and my experience to this campaign is to add weight to every other survivor’s story, to turn up the volume on every victim’s voice that was suppressed for so long, and to intensify the pressure on those who enabled and covered up this monstrous abuse, for them to at last be held accountable. We have immense strength in our distressingly high numbers.

With each story shared, my heart breaks a little bit more…and yet the heart of my inner child heals a little bit more, in the realisation that she was not to blame, and she was not alone.