Soccer chief Gordon Taylor was told of horrific child abuse 20 years ago by a victim of football scout Eddie Heath, but wrote back telling him to ‘seek counselling’.
Non-recent child abuse, sometimes called historical abuse, is when an adult was abused as a child or young person under the age of 18. Sometimes adults who were abused in childhood blame themselves or are made to feel it’s their fault. But this is never the case: there's no excuse for abuse.
The impact of child abuse can last a lifetime. Abuse can have a huge effect on child's health, relationships and education and can stop them from having the childhood and life you deserve. They might find it harder to cope with life's stresses, getting a job or being the type of parent they want to be. They may also develop mental health problems and drug or alcohol issues.
The effects can be short term but sometimes they last into adulthood.
The long term effects of abuse and neglect can include:
- emotional difficulties like anger, anxiety, sadness or low self-esteem
- mental health problems like depression, eating disorders, self harm or suicidal thoughts
- problems with drugs or alcohol
- disturbing thoughts, emotions and memories
- poor physical health
- struggling with parenting or relationships