There have been many sleepless nights for a 30 year-old-woman who was sexually molested by her stepfather when she was a child.

She explained that her stepfather molested her since she was 11, until she went to live with her aunt at 14.

"It has been a real nightmare for me, now, when I consider the sexual abuses I went through as a child", she said.

"I often wonder what I did to get such a horrible treatment in my life. The sexual abuse began when I was 11 years old until I was 14. My mother, who was a security guard at the time, had to work at nights. She left me and my brother with our stepfather when she was at work.

"We lived in a two-bedroom house, and when my mother went to work at nights, my stepfather insisted that my brother sleep in his room. I am three years older than him.

"In the nights, my stepfather would come into my room and force himself on me. I tried to fight him off, but he was too strong for me. When I began to cry, he would tell me to shut up.

"After he had sexual intercourse with me, he would threaten me. He told me if I ever mention what happened to anyone, they would find me dead. Many days when I went to school, I could not concentrate in class.

"My escape from that terrible man came when my aunt, who is a teacher, said my grades in school were poor. She persuaded my mother to let me come to live with her. I was 14 years old when I went to live with my aunt. My stepfather was upset with my mother that she sent me away. My mother did not listen to him. My grades in school improved. I have since graduated from university and I am working.

"I am still hurting from the sexual abuse and had to seek counselling. There are nights when I think about it and just cannot sleep. I sometimes have nightmares. I was telling a friend about my past and she said it was too late to have my stepfather arrested and charged," she said.

There is no time limit in law to bring criminal charges against a person. It is now up to you to decide whether you want this man to be punished for what he did to you.