A Whanganui woman hopes sharing her story of harrowing years in state care will help other people who have experienced abuse know they are not alone.
Annasophia Calman was taken in to care in the 1960s when she was 12. Her mother had escaped domestic violence and left Calman and her siblings with their father. After multiple reports of neglect and physical abuse, the children became wards of the state.
Calman says years of physical, sexual and mental abuse followed as she was moved around the country to various homes, leaving state care at the age of 21.
"It was the people who looked after us who failed to do their job," Calman said.
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Advertise with NZME."The Department of Social Welfare put us in the care of people they thought we could trust. I'm not blaming CYFS. They were at fault but it's really the fault of the people who took children in for money."
Calman married and found herself in another abusive relationship. She eventually left that relationship and is now happily remarried.
"I went through a lot of heartache and pain," Calman said.
"I was holding on to memories and having nightmares. My husband made me go to counselling. Without his help, I wouldn't have done it."
As a way of getting out of the darkness, Calman, with the support of her husband and a counsellor, is writing a book My Life Annasophia about her experiences in care.
"It's taken me three years to write and I can't go back and read some of it. The book tells people what they can do to get help and lets them know they are not alone."
Calman is working on the final editing of the book. She plans to publish 100 copies and have them on sale around Whanganui. Copies would also be given to those working on historic abuse claims "so they can understand what we went through".
