'My father raped me then told me it was better to lose my virginity to him than a random person in a hotel': Daughter reveals harrowing abuse ordeal

            
A young woman who was raped by her father at the age of 12 has shared her story in the hope it will help other victims of sexual abuse.
Gemma Schembri, now 21, from Lincolnshire, revealed her father, Mark, had always been controlling but took his abuse further after he split up with her mother.   
She said: 'He started to sexually abuse me when I stayed with him and it went on for over a year. He was very manipulative and controlled my thoughts to make me believe it was normal.
'The first time he raped me he said afterwards, "Well it was better that it was with me than with some random person in a hotel".'


Gemma said she didn't realise what her father was doing was wrong and it took her years to pluck up the courage to reveal she was a victim of abuse.
She explains: 'My mum hadn't spoken to me about sexual abuse and what type of touching was acceptable and what wasn't. It took me two years to tell someone I was being abused as I didn't realise it was wrong at first and then, when I did, I didn't know how to broach the subject with my mum.'
As a result of her ordeal, Gemma is now supporting a campaign by the NSPCC - who supported her as she came to terms with her experiences.
The charity have launched a campaign called PANTS that encourages parents to have simple, age appropriate conversations with their children to make them aware of the dangers of sexual abuse.