This week justice campaigner Christine Buckley died after a battle with re-occurring cancer. She was brought up in Goldenbridge industrial school after being born to a Nigerian medical student and a married Irish woman where she suffered years of physical and mental abuse at the hands of the Sisters of Mercy. She went on to found the Aislinn Centre for abuse survivors and was a tireless campaigner for justice for survivors of child abuse. Her story was told in the 1996 RTÉ documentary Dear Daughter.

There were many tributes paid to her but the one that stood out for me was by Minister for Justice Alan Shatter who said Christine Buckley’s work was "pivotal in changing Irish perceptions of institutional abuse and led to a new era of child protection in this State. Through her courage and bravery Christine Buckley made a most important contribution to Irish society. By telling her story about institutional abuse, she lifted a veil on the horrors of childhood experiences in the Ireland of the past. Her campaign for truth opened the door for other survivors of abuse to come forward with their own stories."

Christine Buckley was indeed a warrior and also a role model for survivors of child abuse and her story greatly impacted on me and how I viewed my own experience of sexual abuse. I first saw her and heard her speak on the 10th of June 2009, almost 5 years ago, at the first march of solidarity for the victims of institutional abuse. I remember it was a sunny day and I was still accessing the services of One in Four at the time and was well into my process of healing and recovery with the help of therapy.

If you have experienced sexual abuse here’s a trigger warning for you. I experienced sexual abuse when I was 14 years old at the hands of a math’s teacher. I knew immediately there was something very dangerous about this man but when I told my mother she flat out refused to believe me as she said no one we knew would ever do a thing like that and that I was just making excuses to cut class. After that I never spoke another word about it and I was sexually abused over 2 years sometimes 2 or 3 times a week.

Christine talking on Tonight with Vincent Browne in 2009

I failed my junior cert and then got expelled from school as a result of it. This was my first sexual experience and it was at the hands of a devious and highly experienced sexual predator. Needless to say the experience was devastating. The part that hurt me the most even down to this day was that my own mother, the one who was meant to protect me – didn't believe me. I never spoke about my experience until I came to Ireland and accessed the supports of One in Four.

I remember the morning of the march back in June 2009, I got my white ribbon and I was so nervous that when I was trying to pin it on my jacket my hands were shaking so much that I pricked myself with the safety pin and didn't even realize it until I saw the stain of fresh blood on my white ribbon. This was the first time I was publicly announcing to the world by taking part in the march that I was one of those vulnerable children who was not believed when I asked for help.

I was overcome by emotion and wept for the entire march – in many ways like most of the 10,000 who attended I was grief-stricken for the loss of my innocence but at the same time I felt so liberated because for the first time I was not standing in the cold shadow of shame and stigma and this was my moment of validation. It was that day when I heard Christine Buckley speak that I realized none of it had been my fault – I was an innocent victim and the only failure in my experience was at the hands of the adults who were meant to protect me.

That day played a huge role in my recovery and my decision to speak openly about my experience and to encourage other victims to get support but that day would never have happened if Christine Buckley had not begun the long, lonely march to justice decades earlier and for that I am so thankful – Christine Buckley – you are a brave, inspirational and beautiful woman - thank you for your courage and for sparking positive social change and for helping thousands like me to find peace – thank you for your service we are greatly indebted to you - may you rest in peace.

-Dil Wikremasinghe