• Ready to Make Him Pay

  by L.F.

  Names have been changed. Even at 8, I knew what was going on wasn’t right. But only later did I understand that I was a victim of sexual abuse by my stepfather. And now, at 17, I want him in prison.

• Taking My Life Back From My Abusers

  by E.O.

  Names have been changed. When I was 9, I moved to New York to be with my parents and sisters. Like many immigrants from Central America, I took a two-month journey north across Mexico and crossed the border illegally into the United States.

• Bringing My Attacker to Justice

  by Anonymous

  Names have been changed. During my sophomore year in high school I downloaded an app for making friends in my area. Whenever I met someone, I told them right away that I was 15. When I first connected with Tom, he told me he was “around my age,” but I found out later he was really 28.

• Claiming the Life I Deserve

  by Marreka M. Beckett

  For years, so many people abused me that I started to feel like I deserved it. But part of me stayed clear that I was made for a better life, and I kept telling the truth. Finally I found people who took me seriously and helped me escape and heal.

• Haunted

  by Anonymous

  It wasn’t my fault. That’s what people say. Still, it haunts me every day. I wonder all the time, what did I do that made this happen? Does the fact that I was young mean I couldn’t have prevented it? Maybe if I was smarter I would have understood what was happening.