Lobbying for social change from a place of vulnerability
It’s been an interesting 17 years of activism. I have spoken to over 3,000 sexual violence survivors, male and female, since the publication of Lost in Care (2000), Sir Ronald Waterhouse’s report into abuse in children’s homes across North Wales. We’ve had nearly five years of almost daily disclosures of new sexual abuse scandals. However, it’s still challenging for…
Ben’s story
Ben’s grooming and sexual abuse happened from the age of 11 to 14. As part of the initial grooming process, the groomer supplied drugs and alcohol and encouraged a sense of rebellion. During this time, Ben demonstrated a number of difficult behaviours including truanting and theft and also attempted suicide several times. Did anyone try to…
Finding our voices: Surviving, thriving and writing
Lately I’ve been thinking about what it means to find my ‘voice’, to speak my own truth. I’ve been working on that for a lifetime. (That’s 43 years and counting.) I’ve still got a long way to go but I’m learning fast. Me, CSA and voice All the childhood sexual abuse (CSA) survivors I’ve known,…