Sex abuse author 'broken'

"It is not easy to be immersed in the world of child sex abuse ... it pushed me to the edge of my sanity."

War photographer Mariella Furrer embarked on an 11-year journey, interviewing both victims and perpetrators of child sexual abuse. The result was her book My Piece of Sky.

"Part of my life was sacrificed for the book," said Furrer, a victim of child sexual abuse herself.

The book was self-published with assistance from crowd-funding by 396 people. Last night was the first official reading.

The idea was sparked in 2002 when she was asked to do a photographic assignment on infant rape in South Africa for an international magazine.

Furrer said she was sexually abused by a stranger at the age of five and the incident affected her life in a way that was "difficult to articulate".

She writes: "You lose your childhood really, your innocence is snatched away, and what little is left of that once-pure child is now transformed into a sexual being, a child with a knowledge of things way before her time."

She began interviewing victims of rape by fathers, siblings, teachers or strangers.

The Kenyan-born photographer also interviewed perpetrators. She "struggled" with this as she found it "difficult" to hate some of them. Many were "intelligent" and "creative".

The trauma she experienced in documenting child sexual abuse for a decade is evident - she suffers from post-traumatic stress.

She writes: "It tested me in ways that I am not able to comprehend . I would lie on the floor for hours, in shock at what I had heard."

"When I read the book today it kills me . When so many people share their secrets with you, it is very sacred, you feel like you have been carrying it for them . I am trying to release it now," she said.

Furrer is planning a global campaign on child abuse.

"I am trying to remind myself that there is some beauty left in humanity."