Julianne Hough to establish foundation to help child abuse victims

Los Angeles: Actress Julianne Hough, a victim of physical and mental abuse as a child, is planning to launch her own charity to help girls who have suffered similarly.

Hough`s troubled past inspired her to associate with non-profit anti-bullying organisation - Kind Campaign. Now, she is in the process of establishing her own foundation to lend advice and support child abuse victims, reports contactmusic.com. "I don`t want pity. To me, it`s more about being that voice for people who don`t necessarily have a voice...," Hough told cosmopolitan.com. "It`s important because there are a lot of girls who have gone through so much and sexual abuse. "They`re fine talking about it. They are dead, straight-faced. Then the minute they break down is when they are like, `I just wish I had a friend to talk to`," she added. Remembering her childhood days, she said that when she was 10 years old, she was a "tormented little kid, who had to put on this sexy facade because that was my job and my life." "But my heart was the same, and I was this innocent little girl. I wanted so much love. "While I was in London, I was abused, mentally, physically, everything... It got worse when I started hitting puberty, when I started becoming a woman and stopped being a little girl," she added. The 24-year-old admits her fans and young relatives` attitude towards her inspire her to do more to help others. "I have 17 nieces and nephews. The way that they look up to me is scary. I`m like, `Oh c**p! I better be an aunt they can be proud of`." IANS