CHILD sexual abuse rips apart and destroys the little bodies and minds of children, who are too young to understand what sexual assault is or that it can even exist in our world. We teach our children to trust adults – from teachers to parents – to help them and keep them safe. Therefore, when adults betray that trust by hurting them in the most horrific ways, that child is scarred for life and it takes a dedicated effort to help them recover and rebuild their lives. For some children, this is possible. But for other children who do not have anyone who is capable or trustworthy enough to guide them out of their misery, their childhoods and futures are lost forever.

The following stories is from Inchara Foundation, an organization that rescues and rehabilitates victims of child sexual abuse and guides them into brave survivors. Here are 5 heart wrenching stories of child sexual abuse and the intervention that rescued these children from despair:

Even if you scream, no one will hear you

“Even if you scream, no one will hear you, no one will help you.” These are the last words heard by a disabled teenager named Hema* before she was raped by a man pretending to be a doctor. Hema’s disabilities troubled her so while scrolling through Facebook, she came across a doctor who promised he would “cure” her disabilities if she would meet him outside. Hema, excited at the prospect of being cured, agreed. That’s when he locked her up in a room and raped her along with three of his friends. The innocent child was then dumped on the roadside where she was frightened and crying until she was found by the police and brought to Inchara Foundation. 

But… I used to call him Uncle

“I thought I was safe. I used to call him Uncle.” Children like Ananya* often feel safe and protected by adults who are friends with their parents and who they see in their living rooms with their families. But when Ananya was sexually assaulted by her father’s friend, the little girl did not understand how that could happen to her. The child’s trust with adults was broken. It took her almost two years to understand what had happened to her. Until then, she was closed, confused and fearful of everyone who approached her. Inchara Foundation’s trauma counselors were patient with Ananya and let her come to them in her own time. 

How can this happen to me over and over again

“Inside, I am dying.” But on the outside, it was not evident that this minor had been repeatedly gang raped by 5 men for months. Rani* was too terrified to even comprehend what was happening to her and did not even know how to begin asking for help. The symptoms of her trauma did not manifest externally, but inside her mind, she was going through a hurricane of emotions ranging from terror to depression. Rani would walk to the counseling room, but she did not enter. She sat by the door to the room and cried for hours and hours. This continued for 7 months until she finally felt ready to open up to Inchara Foundation’s counselors.  

This is the forest where I was raped

“This is where it happened and this is where I wanted to die.” The medical reports indicated rape but Preeti* was still a small child and too scared to talk about what happened to her. She would weep or scream whenever someone asked her about the incident. But she was drawing one day and drew a dark forest, a well and a little girl lifeless on the forest floor. When asked about her drawing, she said the forest is where men made her scared and left her on the floor and the well is where she tried to kill herself after she had been raped. Unable to speak, Inchara Foundation’s art therapy helped her begin to recall the crime and seek justice. 

I’m a child… how can I be pregnant

“How can I have a child, when I am a child too?” Abhi* could not come to terms with the fact that she was raped by her uncle. To add to her horrors, it was discovered that she was pregnant. But because of the stigma of rape, her family did not take her to the hospital or the police station. Instead, the crime was covered up and Abhi was forced to give birth at home. But her little body could not handle childbirth and she began bleeding profusely. Someone called for help and Inchara Foundation rushed her to the hospital. The doctors saved her life, stating that without immediate medical attention, Abhi would have died. 

Support child sexual abuse victims

The crime of child sexual abuse harms and affects a child more than it does an adult. The mind and body of a child is not developed enough to understand that crimes such as rape exist in this world. Innocent and unable to process such harm being done to them, many children end up dying or descending into mental and physical illness. Inchara Foundation provides victims of child sexual abuse with safe shelter, regular nutritious meals, medical attention, school enrolment, skills training and most importantly – trauma counseling to help them deal with the crime that has happened to them. 

Inchara Foundation needs your support to help girls just like Hema, Ananya, Rani, Preeti and Abhi who are victims of sexual abuse. When you support Inchara Foundation, you help counsel and rehabilitate more girls and make sure that no matter what they have gone through, their futures can still be hopeful. To support Inchara Foundation:

Help child sexual abuse victims

 

*the names of the children have been changed 

📷: all images on this page are for illustrative purposes only and bear no connection to the content of this article

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