PITTSBURGH -- A girl who endured years of sexual abuse by her father is publicly telling her story, hoping to help other children in similar situations.
Faith is talking about her experiences as part of Child Abuse Awareness Month, which is being recognized throughout April.
The girl, who is now 17, told WTAE's Kelly Frey that she began to endure physical abuse at age 13.
She was also made to pose for explicit pictures with her father, who sent the lewd snapshots to others, and forced to flirt with men in Internet chat rooms.
"Probably about the time I turned 13, I started to develop," said Faith. "He started looking at me in different ways, having me do things that 13-year-olds shouldn't do. He started getting more distant from my mom and my brother and spending a lot of time with just me, and it didn't seem right. Then, in the mornings is when he started actually physically abusing me."
Faith said she wanted to tell her mother, but was afraid that her stories wouldn't be believed.
One day, when Faith was 15, she found floppy computer disks on which her father had stored the pictures. Police were notified and her father was arrested. He pleaded guilty and is serving time in prison.
Why is Faith showing her face and telling her story?
"People have to be open about it," she said. "Everybody talks about it like it's some horrible thing. It's horrible that it happens, but you need to talk about, or that's why kids are afraid to tell."
Faith's story, and those of other young victims, are included in Linda Lee Foltz's book, "Kids Helping Kids."
Visit
www.kidshelpkids.net for more information.
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