Introduction

Home: Family & Friends: Supporting Males: It happened to us

This booklet is intended as a companion publication to It Happened To Me : Women talk about child sexual abuse, a booklet on the experience of female survivors of child sexual abuse.

Seventeen adult male survivors of child sexual abuse participated in individual taped interviews, a condition of participation in the project being that contributors were not themselves perpetrators of abuse.

Some of the survivors interviewed were pre-schoolers at the time of the abuse while others were of primary or secondary school age. They come from a cross-section of the community and range in age from 20 years to 55 years of age.

We recognize that there is a great need for us to learn more about the sexual abuse of boys. To help the community, other survivors and professionals who work in the area learn more about child sexual abuse and its effects, we present here the feelings, views and experiences of some of the survivors.

This booklet gives us the opportunity to listen to the voices of adult male survivors of child sexual abuse tell about their own experiences and what they feel was important in helping them. The aim of the booklet is to encourage and empower other male survivors to speak out.

It is hoped that after reading this you will have a greater understanding of the issues involved, whether you are:

• a survivor of child sexual abuse
• have professional involvement in the area; or
• are a member of the broader community.

Some of the stories in this booklet may inspire you, some may make you feel sad or confused. Some might even make you feel angry. If you would like to talk to someone about these feelings you will find a list of organizations on this website.

Sponsor

Department of Human Services

Disclaimer Copyright Updated: 21 May 2010