NEWS9 Special Assignment: Victim of Sexual Abuse speaks out

Lately, sexual abuse cases involving children and adults have been making local as well as national headlines. But the question remains, why do people feel the need to do this, and why do these crimes continue to occur?

Alicia Kozakiewicz was only 13 years old when she was taken from her home in Pittsburgh. Alicia said, "I was raped, beaten and torched." She said it all started in an online chat room. However, the person she thought was a friend turned out to be what she calls a monster.

"He groomed me and on New Year's Day 2002, I walked out my front door just to say hi to this person and he kidnapped me and took me to Virginia where I was held captive in his basement dungeon." Alicia said.

She was held captive for 96 hours.

Now, she is working to put a stop to abuse.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice's National Crime Victimization survey, there was an average of 207,754 victims of sexual abuse between 2006 and 2010.

Those numbers are slightly decreasing each year, but local experts believe the crimes are still steady. However, the question of why sexual abuse occurs still looms.

Nancy Georges is a counselor and said, "I don't think that answer is clear cut and dry. We really don't know, but I think there are two factors that vastly contribute to this. One is the environment and the need to have power and control over one person."

Alicia doesn't know the answer to that question either.

The man who sexually abused Alicia is behind bars, but she said it still took her years before she was able to speak out publicly.

Alicia said, "This year was the 10-year anniversary and it was a joyous occasion, look how far we've come. And then I realized 10 years from now he'll be out and how it really never goes away.

"Shame and guilt primarily, it's not something that you want to talk about," Georges said. "And nine times out 10 people weren't believed when they went to tell their story."

Alicia said those four days of her life will be with her forever.

She's just lucky she was rescued by police, who were actually tipped off by her kidnapper's accomplice.

"It's hard, and the PTSD, the nightmare and the flashbacks and everything, it was really a life sentence," Alicia said. "He might have been sentenced to 19 years, but for me and for all other survivors, it's a lifetime."

After 10 years, this survivor started "The Alicia Project." It is designed to spread her story and warn others of the signs of abuse.

Alicia created a Facebook page that has received positive reviews.

But when it comes down to it, her number one goal is to make sure no one has to ever go through what she did a decade ago.

"That's why I speak up, I feel like I was rescued for a reason," Alicia said. "It was a million-to-one shot against my recovery.