A SURVIVOR who, as a teenager, was groomed and raped by his parish priest for four years has called for a system of educating parents to help them respond well should their children ever disclose abuse.

When the priest was eventually tried and later convicted, the survivor, Benji (not his real name) recalled that his parents had not permitted him to attend court to give evidence because “they were deeply ashamed.” He had since been ostracised by his family whom he had not seen for many years, he said. He was still traumatised by the abuse he had suffered. “It dominates everything,” he said.

This was among the more than 1100 experiences of abuse recorded in an online anthology published by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) on Thursday. The anthology, Experiences Shared, documents the accounts of some of the more than 6000 victims and survivors of abuse who have spoken to the Truth Project since it was set up by IICSA in 2016 to help with its investigations.

Survivors have reported suffering from depression or other life-altering conditions, often for decades afterwards (News, 13 August 2021). Many accounts have included suggestions to help protect children in future (News, 1 May 2020).

The Truth Project concluded in October 2021 to ensure that all the information acquired can inform IICSA’s concluding report, which is due to be published later this year. Since it was formed in 2015, IICSA has carried out 15 investigations, including of abuse and safeguarding within the Anglican Church.

During its existence, it has received more than 2.45 million pages of evidence, including 7000 pages in the past three months.