Catriona talks to fellow survivor Moya about what happened when she was groomed and assaulted as a 13-year-old. Like Catriona, it wasn’t until she was in her late teens that Moya realised that what she had gone through was abuse.
Moya isn’t her real name, but for personal reasons she’s chosen to go anonymous. Just a warning that in part one, Moya talks in detail about the sexual abuse she suffered as a child aged 13, as well as issues around suicide and complications from an abortion.
If you feel like leaving this part for another day, see below for part 2 to find out how Moya copes now.
If you've been affected by child sexual abuse or violence, you can find details of organisations in the UK who offer help and support at bbc.co.uk/actionline.
Moya tells Catriona how studying helped her deal with her depression after she survived child sexual abuse. Moya isn’t her real name, but for personal reasons she’s chosen to go anonymous. After watching a series of philosophical videos on YouTube, Moya decided she wanted to learn as much as she could. She went on to earn an undergraduate degree, then a Masters, and she’s now finishing a PhD.
Through studying, Moya realized she could depend on her mind even when she felt hatred towards her body and the bad things that had been done to it.