Abuse Survivors Blog

Editor's note: This post was originally written in 2017 and has since been refreshed for relevance and accuracy.

The age of consent for sex

In England and Wales the age of sexual consent is 16 for both men and women. The age of consent is the same regardless of the gender or sexual orientation of a person and whether the sexual activity is between people of the same or different gender.

The recent conviction of a Jehovah’s Witness elder in Wales highlights once again the endemic opportunities for sexual predators within religious institutions, and the difficulty in speaking out against institutional abuse.

Church elder, Thomas Brian Jenkins, denied 20 charges of indecent assault of a young girl in the 1970s within the context of carrying out missionary activities such as “door-to-door missions” to rural properties in the Welsh countryside. 

World Mental Health Day occurs annually on 10th October and its purpose is to raise awareness of mental health issues and mobilise efforts in support of mental health.

Each year, the World Federation for Mental Health chooses a theme on which to promote ‘World Mental Health Day’.

Medical and police records play an important role in any personal injury compensation claim. 

They can support a person’s case in a number of ways and therefore can be of great evidential value. 

In 2017, eight care workers were charged after a police investigation into historical child abuse at a children’s home in Coventry.

These men were accused of a total of 29 offences (which included counts of child cruelty, indecent assaults and one rape of a child) against 15 children whilst working at Wisteria Lodge between 1981-1997.

Compensation settlements and awards from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (as a result of psychiatric or physical injury) will be taken into account by the Department of Work and Pensions when assessing a person’s entitlement to means tested benefits.

Having good support from loved ones when dealing with the psychological consequences of sexual abuse can be vital, but therapeutic support from a trained professional can also be invaluable.

On 24^th September 2018, Emmott Snell once again took part in the annual Bedford Legal Walk, a 10km sponsored walk around Bedford town which raises money for local charities providing legal advice. 

If you have suffered an injury (physical or psychological) in the last three years as a result of being involved in an accident that wasn’t your fault, then you may have a personal injury compensation claim.

There are some cases where the criteria might be different. For example, a child has three years from their 18th birthday to make a claim (and will be represented in the claim by a competent adult known as a litigation friend), regardless of how old they were when they were injured. 

It is well known that many victims of childhood sexual abuse suffer with psychological conditions and symptoms that affect their day to day life and ability to function.

The symptoms of these conditions are debilitating and can be treated by various traditional psychotherapies including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, EDMR and counselling.