Overcoming shame, a violation of trust and feelings of betrayal are a few of the many challenges that survivors of sexual abuse inevitably deal with over their lifetime. There is no easy way to move on. It is day by day, but victims can and do become survivors. Some days are easier than others. There are many things that can help in that transition to survivor. It helps to have a good support system. If you don't have one, build one. Seek out resources, a local victims' advocacy center, therapeutic services, friends or family, information on how to deal with the bad days, and affirmations that affirm it's not your fault, that you deserve to be happy, to feel good about yourself, and be safe.
The shame of sex abuse belongs with the perpetrator, not the victim. Often, especially with children, abusers groom their victims to think they are responsible for the abuse, that they are willing parties. That is a mind game. Do not allow the abuser to have that control. Take your control back. The fact that an abuser tricks his victims, whatever age, into a vulnerable situation where he (or she) can be abusive is not the fault of the victim. Similarly, children and boys, especially, are often confused by the way their bodies react in these situations. It does not mean that they wanted or deserved the abuse.
For many who have been victimized by sexual abuse, the use of therapy in the months following the abuse may not seem discernibly helpful because there is so much that the victim is trying to process and trying to forget. That doesn't mean that therapy is not a good resource to use in the future. Over the course of a lifetime, a survivor may go for extended periods of time, years even, where they are able to cope and then all of a sudden something triggers a flashback or post traumatic stress that brings all of the bad feelings back. Many survivors find it helpful to check in with a trusted therapist periodically to be able to cope with those tough times.
No one can change the facts of what happens to someone who is sexually abused. It is not something that can be forgotten. It is a part of one's life. It is not who you are. Make good memories. Celebrate yourself. Honor yourself. Sexual abuse is a terrible thing but that does not mean the person abused is terrible. It does not have to define who you are. That is giving the abuser too much power, exactly what he wants. You have the right to define yourself. He does not.