Melanie

I stand with the other victims of MAF and Harrods, as we are the ones who truly understand the impact these crimes can have on your life. The victims were young women - women who were early in their careers and knew little of how the corporate world worked to understand the inappropriate context of the settings of these crimes, which was completely exploited by MAF and others. Having trust and naivety exploited at a young age sets a way of thinking for the rest of your life - building trust with anyone (personal and especially professional) takes time and has an impact on success. I became an overly cautious individual, and still am to this day because of the experience I had. It means I am very reserved, protective and not the open and friendly person I used to be before. I have not married, and have no children, and I believe a part of that stems to my inability to allow people "in" for fear of what they could do to me.

Being young women, against a powerful man and corporation, it was clear we would not be heard at that time. It is only now I am older and more confident that I was able to come forward about the crimes of MAF towards me. And seeing the strength of this combined group of amazing, strong women helps to build a path forward, knowing I was not the person who did anything wrong in that situation.

To this date my family do not know what happened to me - I choose not to tell them to protect them, but it has been a burden to carry for almost 20years alone. Having this campaign, bringing other survivors together, finally lets me feel I am not alone.