In part mine was, and I didn't really realise until years later.

Well - I was 10 and my brother was 14 when it started. He had a 16 yo friend that also was involved from time to time. I don't know if Rick, the friend, was the instigator or not. I am not sure if I would consider a 14 yo and a 16 yo as children...maybe young adults. I know to me they seemed like giants!

I think I knew right away that it was wrong, and they told me it was a secret. And as much as it pains me to this day it felt good - and scary as hell. I both looked forward to it and dreaded it at the same time.

I never told anyone for nearly 35 years.

My abuser was an adult but he forced me to participate in the abuse of my younger sister. We didn't really know what was going on, but it's really messed us up.

Well, I was sexually abused but my daughter was by my second husband. Its not the victims fault or the childs fault. They think its okay because the abuser that is doing it to them convince them its the right thing to do. My ex went to prison and he died there the scumbag that he was. If you were sexually abused and never told anyone that is okay but you should get some counselling for what happend to you.

i was only 6 when my brother began his abuse...he was a mere 8 an a half yrs old. it continuted until he was 16 an i was 14. i struggle with this a lot...seems most ppl view it as 'normal curiosity' or playing doctor an whatnot. maybe at 6 an 8...but it progressed and worsened...and it certainly wasn't normal at 16 an 14..idk...it's hard. i didn't realize what was happening till i was 14...when i told, my parents didn't believe me...i had to nearly succeed in a suicide attempt before a nurse in the psych ward listened to me an contacted authorities. my heart goes out to you...an to all surviors...regardless of age. hugs hun

I was 9, my cousin was 14. It took 2 months before I eventually told my mum.

My brother, 3 1/2 years older than me, started in on me when I was 2. When I was 4, the parents found out. I got in trouble while he went out to play. I think at that time, I suspected something was really wrong, but I thought it was wrong with ME. I didn't realize until I hit the second grade that all brothers did not do this to their sisters. I really don't know when I finally figured out it was abuse.

When I was 5, I was out playing with a group of older kids. One was a girl named Cindy who was a year or so older than me. There were her two brothers who were a year or so older than her. And there were a couple other older boys as well.

At some point during our playing, they 'dare' me to pull down my pants. At that age, you do what older kids tell you, even if you know you shouldn't, so I did. Then they dare her to touch it, and she did. It never went any further than that and we moved a short time later, so I never saw her or her brothers or the other boys again.

I never really though of it as "abuse" at the time - it was just kids playing - but the older I get the MORE it bothers me. Not from the standpoint of what they did to me, but from the standpoint of realizing that, if they did this to me, then what other things were her brothers doing to HER?

As an adult, I've occasionally thought of looking her up to find out if she was "okay" or if she needed to talk to someone who was also aware of what her brothers were capable of making people do. But what would I say ? "Hi, I'm ___ and 41 years ago, your brothers made you touch me." ?

I was 9, almost 10. I was in a large neighborhood park. Three boys two to three years older than I walked up to me flashing metal badges. They said they wanted to practice, "having sex with a girl." i.e. I was a boy at the time. They took me into a circle of lilac bushes up on a hill. They raped me, if that can be said of 12 or 13 year-old boys. What they did to me would have been called rape if it was done by a man.

I was fondled by a class mate in the showers after gym class in 7th grade.

My one "real" friend began molesting me the summer before 8th grade and didn't stop until after high school.

After the time with the three boys I quit talking for two days. My mother finally asked if something had happened. I told her. She called the police. I told the police and they had a police officer escort me through my elementary school 5th grade class looking for the boys although I told them the boys were older and not from my school. The boys were older and not from my school. I never told my parents or any other adult about any of the sexual assaults that happened to me after that. There were more assaults that happened as an adult. I knew something was wrong but did not know the words or the meaning of rape and sexual assault until much older. It wasn't until I was almost 50 that I was able to apply those words to myself.