Fathullah’s Story

Hello, my name is Fathullah. I was a victim of incest for several years from around the age of 10. I was continuously molested by one of my female relatives, one who was a victim herself. I believe that the incest in my family runs deep and involves a lot of people from older generations, but we are a household of strong religious beliefs and stern African culture. My only wish is to help anyone in my family that has been through such abuse, but it’s very hard to discuss these things with anyone in my family, specifically my parents. A lot of my failed relationships and poor behaviour to women is defined by my past trauma and my acquired porn addiction as a place of solice due to being sexually abused. I hate the way I’ve behaved towards people from my early teenage years, and I believe it was mainly because I was never able to fully express what was inside me. I go through stages of silence, social hesitation, and feelings that I can only describe as emotional weakness. I am 21 years old today and I finally feel like I need to bring some good behaviour and character into my life. I’ve drastically reduced my porn viewing and I’m re-kindling a sense of community amongst my peers. I still have a long way to go, but opening up about my past is one step towards it. Thank you ‘When You’re Ready’ for helping those in need. Wish me luck :)