Cleo's Story

Trigger warning - Sexual Assault

I’d like to share my story.

My experiences of abuse began when I was very young. My father was often physically abusive, especially when he was angry or frustrated, and I was the one he took it out on. Alongside this, he also crossed serious boundaries and abused me over a number of years. As a child, I didn’t fully understand what was happening, only that it didn’t feel right and that I couldn’t stop it. This continued until my parents separated when I was around seven.

A few years later, my mum entered a new relationship, and for a while things seemed okay. But after we moved in together, things began to change. My stepfather started crossing boundaries. At first in ways that were confusing and uncomfortable, and then in ways that became clearly unsafe. I often felt frozen and unable to react, not knowing what to do or how to make it stop.

Over time, the behaviour escalated. I was left feeling scared in my own home and began to dread being there, knowing what might happen. Eventually, I told my mum. Her reaction was intense, and although something was said to him, she stayed in the relationship. For a while, things seemed to settle, and I tried to believe I was safe again.

But a couple of years ago, the behaviour started again. The fear came back with it. This time, instead of staying silent, I told a teacher at school about everything - both what had happened in the past and what was happening again.

Because of that, I am now safe. There is a court order in place to keep him away from me, and I am in the process of taking further action.

One of the hardest parts has been that my mum and some of my family don’t believe me and have supported him instead. That has been incredibly painful, and it’s something I’m still trying to navigate.

Even with all of this, I’m still here. I’m still finding ways to move forward, even when it’s hard.

I’m sharing my story in the hope that someone else who has experienced abuse, fear, or not being believed might feel less alone and know that speaking up can make a difference.