Stories of survival lend voice to awareness campaign

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When she was six years old, a male family friend staying with them began sexually abusing her in the afternoons while they were alone at home.

"It started out as gentle touches, like how parents show affection with a lot of hugging, and it slowly grew into something more. Because I was a child and it came from someone my parents trusted, I didn't know that it was wrong," said Ms Devika Panicker, now 24.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on August 26, 2018, with the headline Stories of survival lend voice to awareness campaign. Subscribe