'I'm a survivor because of them': Sexually abused teenager says Victim Support charity saved his life

Callum Genovese, 18, from Garstang, wants to raise awareness of child sexual abuse and the impact it can have on victims and their families after he experienced years of abuse as a child.

Victim Support helped Callum after it was revealed he was a victim of sexual abuse for four years, starting at just 11 years old.

The rapist who carried out the crimes received a 9-year sentence after he pleaded guilty to two counts of rape of a child under 13 and one count of rape of an 18-year-old woman at Preston Crown Court. He also received a 10-year restraining order preventing him from contacting either of his victims. He was ordered to sign the sex offenders register.

Callum, who attends Lancaster and Morecambe College, has bravely lifted his right to anonymity to publicly thank the charity he says ‘saved his life’ throughout this traumatic time of his and his family’s lives.

Victim Support offered Callum crucial one-to-one help throughout the traumatic experience as his abuser went to court.

He said: “They came to court with me, they were always on the other side of the phone and helping me with different ways to cope. They were with me through the whole process explaining things to me, because I was so young, in a way that I would understand. Without them. I wouldn’t be here today.”

Whilst the charity offers free and confidential support to all victims of crime, it also provides a specialist children and young person service, to help young victims like Callum who have suffered from years of childhood sexual abuse.

Callum wants to see more education on this crime in schools and for more services to be available for people who may not live as close to support units. He believes that more awareness needs to be raised to help children look out for signs of abusive behaviour.

He said: “I want my story out there because it raises awareness of a true life story, rather than someone sitting there explaining what could happen. It’s for other people really. For any victims who might be too scared to come forward.”

The abuse started for 18-year-old Callum while he was attending school, he said: “With sexual abuse in children it's probably one of the biggest things that need raising awareness of. Parents do worry but when you go to school and meet all these new people, that protection isn’t there. That’s how it started for me.

"Because you’re so young you don’t see the signs and you aren’t aware of it, so they need more education in schools or things that can help parents with coping for their children that may have gone through it. It’s essential really because I know my mum struggled with it.”

The local man who now attends Lancaster and Morecambe College and studies Uniform Protected services, said: “I want to help prevent people from suffering in silence and potentially losing their lives from suicide, domestic abuse or sexual abuse.

“Honestly, I don’t know where I would be without Victim Support. I would like to thank my caseworker who enabled me to turn from a victim to a survivor. I will never be able to find the words to express how thankful I am. I hope that the money raised will help Victim Support continue their life-changing work in supporting victims of crime.”

To help in his mission of raising awareness and funds, Callum set out to walk 100 miles of the Lake District. The gruelling challenge which took three days to complete, saw Callum raise over £100 for Victim Support’s services.

Callum, despite recently having a serious operation on his knee, was determined to continue with this walk as he said: “I weren’t quitting!”.

Keen to show his gratitude for the charity, he said: “My case support worker was amazing. That’s why I’m doing this, thanking her for the support she gave me. Going through counseling I didn’t find anything that helped until Victim Support came along.

"The way I see it is I was once a victim but now I’m a survivor because of them."

To continue in his mission in thanking the team that ‘saved his life’, Callum has big plans to walk the three peaks next year to raise more money for Victim Support. He then wants to attempt the Welsh 3000 the year after.

Ben Donagh, Children and Young Person Lead at Victim Support said: “We’d like to say a huge thank you to Callum for raising an amazing £120 for our support services. Through taking on this fundraising challenge, Callum is helping raise awareness about the devastating impact of sexual abuse amongst children and young people, as well as the support services available.

“At Victim Support, our Children and Young Person service is equipped with specialist caseworkers who provide bespoke, support to young victims of any crime. Up and down the country, we have dedicated experts who support children and young people affected by sexual abuse. Our teams also work in schools to deliver group workshops on the impacts of crime, such as hate crime or bullying and harassment.”

Victim Support provides free support to anyone affected by crime, which can be accessed via the charity’s 24/7 support line or live chat on their website.

We have not to named the perpetrator in this case at Callum’s request