At least 1 in 5 people in the UK experience a form of child abuse. There is a depth of evidence indicating that people who have experienced sexual abuse are more likely to experience poor health, more likely to adopt risk-taking behaviours such as substance misuse, have lower educational achievement, higher unemployment and are more vulnerable to re-victimisation. Rates of self-harm can be as high as 49% among adult survivors, and the risk of suicide attempts can be as much as six times higher than the general population. So often survivors of childhood sexual abuse are left isolated and alone when trying to navigate our criminal justice system.
Our Foundation supports approximately 1,000 survivors per year. These funds will allow us to grow our legal advocacy support service, providing emotional and practical support to survivors seeking justice, and advocating for their rights in what can be an adversarial, opaque and confusing system. In the last twelve months, we have seen a 45% increase in the number of survivors seeking this sort of support. The award will fund a part-time caseworker to join our Operations Manager in delivering this vital guidance.
