Women are sharing their chilling stories of the first time they were sexually abused.

by Claire de Freitas April 21, 2016

Warning: This post is about sexual assault and may cause distress for some readers.

Women are sharing their first experiences of sexual abuse using the hashtag #WhenIWas on Twitter.

Feminist nonprofit group the Everyday Sexism Project set-up the hashtag and encouraged women to share stories of when they first experienced sexual abuse or assault.

We’re using the #WhenIwas hashtag to share experiences and reveal just how early sexism, harassment, sexual violence & discrimination start

— EverydaySexism (@EverydaySexism) April 19, 2016

“These things start when girls are as young as eight or 10 years old, and it’s important to recognise that these things have a lifelong impact,” Everyday Sexism Project Founder Laura Bates told Mic.com.

#wheniwas about 9, an older man (50+) at a family gathering told me to greet my elder with a kiss, he then forced his tongue into my mouth. — Gadi (@AfroMatriarch) April 19, 2016

Thousands of women have shared their stories of sexual abuse using the hashtag. The Everyday Sexism Project tweeted that this response confirms the alarming prevalence of sexism in the general community.

So often women and girls are dismissed, ignored or disbelieved. 20,000 stories on #WhenIwas prove we’re not ‘overreacting’ or ‘making it up’

— EverydaySexism (@EverydaySexism) April 19, 2016

The tweets covered topics such as molestation, sexist slurs, discrimination and rape.

In Australia, girls aged 10 and 14 years make up the largest portion of victims of sexual violence according to police data. Young women aged between 15 and 24 are the second largest group.

If this post brings up any issues for you, or if you just feel like you need to speak to someone, please call the NSW Rape Crisis Centre on 1800 RESPECT (1800 424 017). It doesn’t matter if you do not live in NSW, or even in Australia, they will take your call and, if need be, refer you to a service closer to home.