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Martina's story | Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse
We cannot solve a problem we do not recognize exists. My abuser was a female peer, close to my own age, and both of us were still children. My suffering was prolonged for months, woven into the fabric of my day-to-day life. The face of her identity — young, female — made it harder for me to identify what was happening, to get out, and to get help. I — and my parents, and the therapist they sent me to — failed to call what happened to me abuse.
Content warning: This story is about child sexual abuse. It may contain graphic descriptions and strong language, and may be confronting and disturbing. If you need help, please see support services.
Suddenly, I was pulled back to being 15 years old — with the world all in front of me after an extremely rocky childhood. Pulled back through the time tunnel — to a time before I was sexually …. When ….