AN 18-YEAR-OLD who was sexually abused as a child has flown to South America to help other young victims.
Ellie Stenson was abused by family friend Anthony King, who babysat the then six-year-old.
By the time she was eight, he had started to rape her, with the abuse continuing until she was ten when King, 37, was jailed for drug offences.
With her attacker now serving 14 years in jail, Miss Stenson has travelled to Bolivia with charity International Service.
She is currently training to help young people and children, aged from birth 18 who have suffered abuse and hardship.
"This is what I want to do," she said. "I'd been in and out of hospital so much and had so many people caring for me that I wanted to give that to other people."
Miss Stenson who eventually wants to become a barrister, didn't tell anyone about ther abuse she suffered until she was 17.
She has struggled with an eating disorder from the age of six and has attempted suicide 20 times.
She was sectioned under the Mental Health Act and following a 10-month stint in a psychiatric hospital, Miss Stenson says she asked herself whether she wanted to die or live and do something with her life.
"I didn't tell anyone because I wanted to protect people and didn't want anyone else to carry the burden," said Miss Stenson, from Mansfield.
"I blamed myself for a long time and it held me back."
Eventually Miss Stenson told a nurse about the abuse.
Detective constable Phil Musson from the Sexual Exploitation Investigation Unit visited her and continued to return until, after three weeks, she told him what had happened.
"I couldn't cope with going around in circles anymore about whether I wanted to keep going – it was killing me," she said.
"[DC Musson] didn't ask anything too heavy, he was really calm and made me comfortable. I knew I could trust him, so much so that I told him what had happened after about three weeks which I never thought I would. If it wasn't for Phil I would have never told anyone or gone to court.
"The main thing for victims is that they want to be believed. I want the young people I meet in Bolivia to know that there will always be someone who will believe you and not look down on you."
King, formerly of Longford Walk, Mansfield, was convicted of two counts of rape of a child aged eight, two counts of gross indecency with a child and two counts of sexual assault on a child.
He was jailed for 14 years in prison at Nottingham Crown Court on October 22, 2012.
