This section of my website is dedicated to victims and survivors of child sexual abuse (CSA) and those who support them with their healing journey into adulthood.
I experienced sexual abuse as a child from a family member and have been to court twice to give evidence and be cross examined. Unfortunately for me, formal justice was not served as both trials resulted in hung juries (2018 and 2019), however through my writing, the passing of time and being conscious of taking care of my wellbeing, I realise there are more ways to achieve peace, or at least work towards it, developing self compassion for the tough days and embracing the joy and contentment on others.
In 2019 I was given a voice to talk to police officers and staff in one force about my experience of reporting CSA, tracking this journey through to court. An incredible opportunity to be able to offer some insights to investigators who deal with child abuse investigations and non recent sexual assault cases. I hope to do more of this over time but for now, you may find some helpful information in the below blogs and links. To anyone who is thinking about reporting child sexual abuse or already on this pathway, I wish you much love and strength on your own journey. Keep going and do what feels right for you, and if you do choose to formally report to the police, no matter what the judicial result, know you are contributing to change for other victims and you can find peace along the way. You can 💜
Self Care Tips for Victims in Court
The ‘C’ Word – A personal blog
The report of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (published 20th October 2022): https://www.iicsa.org.uk/final-report
The Survivors Trust is the largest agency for specialist rape and sexual abuse services in the UK and has been providing infrastructure support to their members for the past 15 years. They have 124 member agencies based in the UK and Ireland providing information, advice, support and therapy to over 80,000 individual survivors each year: https://www.thesurvivorstrust.org/