Abuse Survivors Blog

More allegations of sexual misconduct and abuse in the entertainment industry have been exposed, most recently in relation to a top choreographer for the Royal Ballet. 

We all have times when we have to “Find our Brave”. This is the theme of Children’s Mental Health Week which is taking place (3rd to 9th February 2020) in the United Kingdom. The awareness week is now its sixth year and its purpose is to highlight the importance of good mental health in children and young people. 

We have recently been contacted by a victim of a former Boys’ Brigade leader William Bissett who was sexually assaulted by him whilst he was a member of the Boys’ Brigade.

Once again the Church of England is suffering the discomfort of more public spotlight following the airing of ‘Exposed: The Church’s Dark Secret’ on BBC 2 this week. The documentary details the former Bishop of Lewes’s predatory behaviour towards young, vulnerable boys and men, most of whom had joined his religious Order, and the church’s wholly negligence response to numerous complaints about him over many years.

Many victims of sexual abuse live in silence and fear. It is heartening that more victims of sexual abuse are speaking out. This is thought to be as a result of the public inquiries and reporting of high-profile cases in the media. In 2014 the Government set up the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (“IICSA”) to look at how institutions have handled their duty of care to protect children. The inquiry set up the Truth Project which has heard from thousands of victims of sexual abuse. 

Another year has passed and on Wednesday 18 December 2019, Emmott Snell hosted their annual mince pie and Christmas punch morning in support of Save The Children.

Over December 2019, Emmott Snell Solicitors have been gathering Christmas goodies for the ‘Love in a Bag’ 2019 campaign.

This year has seen many reports of an increase of sexual violence/assaults at UK universities by fellow students/mentors and lecturers. It is deeply shocking and disappointing that respected universities have found themselves in the midst of these revelations. This article looks at the scale of the problem, and the justice routes available to those who have suffered, including compensation.

Highlighting the role of an "ISVA" (Independent Sexual Violence Adviser) and "SARC" (Sexual Assault Referral Centre) in sexual abuse claims.

Popular prime time television programmes continue to tackle difficult subjects, such as, sexual assaults and rape. When running these well researched and well played out storylines many highlight the organisations and support available to victims (of sexual assaults and rape) such as ISVAs and SARCs.

Editor's note: This post was originally written in 2017 and has since been brought up to date in honour of World Mental Health Day 2019.

Secondary mental health problems including compassion fatigue and secondary trauma are especially prevalent among those working in industries that require them to work closely with victims of trauma, or that expose them to trauma on a secondary level. However it's not often given the attention it deserves and as a result, those at risk are not prioritising their own mental health.