hello, by the title it seems like this has recently happened, it didnt. this happened 7 years ago yet i didnt talk because i was 6 years old. My sister abused and sexually ausallted me from 6 to 9 years old. i tried telling my mum but she doesnt know what to do. it probably doesnt matter because it happened so long ago. please reply.
Sam
Hi there
No matter how long ago something happened you still deserve support, how you feel is completely valid and what you went through matters just as much.
People that have experienced sexual abuse can go through a range of emotions and these can appear at any age. Some of these can be anger, sadness, guilt, confusion and can all impact your self-esteem, mental health and relationships. Some can feel like what happened was somehow their fault and, although that is a normal emotion to have from going through this, it's important to remember that you are never to blame and didn’t deserve this to happen to you.
You did the right thing trying to talk to your mum, reaching out can feel scary but it's important to have some support. Sometimes it can be difficult to know what to do or what you would like to happen after sharing. Some people may want to take action. You can report past abuse to police at any age but there's no pressure to do this, it's completely your choice.
Others may not want to report what happened but still want support. This is okay. You can access support for any kind of sexual assault via rape crisis, talking to your doctor, school/college counsellor or Childline counsellors who can support you and also share more support services available to you.
You may not feel ready to do anything yet and that is okay too, it may help to look at our advice pages and Childline message boards where other young people talk about their experiences.
I hope this helps.
Take care,
Sam
Need help straight away?
You can talk privately to a counsellor online or call 0800 1111 for free.
Ask me a question
You can ask me about anything you want, there's nothing too big or small. I read every single letter but I can only answer a few each week. My replies are published here on my page.
