General Article Alice’s story

Topic Selected: Child Abuse Book Volume: 388

Alice had a rough childhood. The abuse happened when she was six and again at 16. She still has flashbacks. But she’s moving on now. She’s signed to a record label. She’s meeting people and doing what she loves.

A part of life

Alice was six when she was sexually abused by her father. ‘I didn’t have a clue at the time what had happened; I just knew I was upset and something was wrong.’

She grew up thinking abuse was a part of childhood. When she was drugged and abused at a house party, she thought it was normal. ‘I thought I was on the planet just to be used by men’.

Alice became a very anxious 16 year old. Every time she left the house, she would face her abusers. She started missing school and stopped going out with mates.

As much as she wanted to, Alice couldn’t talk to her mum about it. ‘I was a carer for her and she has bipolar, so it was very hard to talk to her.’ Alice toughed it out alone, unsure what her future would look like, until she met Suzanne.

Picking up the pieces

Su...

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