Updates/News
We post articles here and also on our Twitter feed, so monitor both if you wish to be updated on the issues that are important to us and also our appreciation for the help and support we receive.
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‘When You Are Ready’ Campaign - Launched Monday 21st October 2024
This is a co-produced nationally coordinated campaign with the aim of encouraging adult victims and survivors of child sexual abuse and exploitation to reach out for support and ensure they feel seen, heard and supported.
The campaign message is simple: If you’ve been abused or exploited as a child, we are here, when you are ready. We understand. We believe. We care.
The three-minute film features the voices of victims and survivors who have experienced child sexual abuse and exploitation – this includes both contact and online offences. The film does not discuss the abuse experienced but details the experience each victim and survivor had in making the decision to disclose their abuse to a loved one, support organisation and/or the police, and the impact it had on their life thereafter. You can view the film via https://www.whenyouareready.co.uk/ which also has links to support organisations.
The intention is that the film and associated campaign assets, resonates with further victims and survivors, highlighting that they are not alone and this is happening to other people, like them, who are living and thriving.
Encouraging victims and survivors to reach out for support if that’s the right thing to do for them - whether it’s telling a friend, or contacting a support organisation. To feel empowered to take a step.
How This Specific Campaign Happened
As part of the work of the national Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) Taskforce, which was established by Government in April 2023 to enhance the policing response to child sexual exploitation and abuse, the communications team (comprising of Hydrant, TOEX and VKPP colleagues) set up sessions with the Marie Collins Foundation's Lived-Experience Group late 2023 to collaborate directly with victims and survivors. To ensure that any work developed and delivered put their voices at the heart of this work and the policing response to child abuse and exploitation.
Following these sessions, the requirement was clear - there was a real need for a nationally coordinated campaign, which would seek to encourage further adult victims and survivors to reach out for support (not just from law enforcement) and ensure they feel seen and heard. It was also crucial that any work would be fully informed by those with lived experience from start to finish.
The CSE Taskforce commissioned Stand to deliver on this work and the project team has since been working closely with those with lived experience on every aspect of this campaign, including an extensive research and insights phase and one-to-one interviews, which have created the central hard-hitting campaign film.
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The National Anaylsis of Police Recorded Child Sexual Abuse & Exploitation (CSAE) Crimes Report
It always takes time for police/others to analyse data and produce their conclusions. This report relates to data collected by them during the period Jan-Dec 2022. Their report and conclusions have only been recently released and they contain topics of interest to us.
Remembering also that the data only reports to that which is known by the police and not the vast amount that is known to our sector, but not the police. Also the even larger number that are still not known as they have never been disclosed. The majority of crimes are NOT reported to the police and therefore the data is understated. Plus there is always going to be a distortion of data when ages are aggregated. For example, they say that crimes committed by 10-17 year olds – but within that are the 14-17 year olds who have had sex with girlfriend/boyfriend – we believe it would be more meaningful if the ages were split out to age 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17.
Media Release from National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) | January 2024
A Short Animation by NSPCC - Providing a Brief Overview of the Scale & Nature of the Report
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Fundraisers Rosie & Jude - Ambulance Service Workers
Update!!!! Jude and Rosie have raised a total of £680 for us! (This excludes Gift Aid which will raise even more money for CIS'ters). They have done so well to fundraise for us by running the 10k event in London on 24th September 2023. Thank you both, we are very grateful. Also, thank you to everyone for the money donated.
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IICSA (Independent Inquiry Child Sexual Abuse) Reports
→ IICSA Inquiry Final Report - Dated 20th October 2022 - This Report makes 20 powerful recommendations to government and other institutions.
Three of these form the centrepiece to the Inquiry’s work:
A new law of mandatory reporting making it a legal requirement for those who work in regulated activity or work in a position of trust to report child sexual abuse;
The creation of a Child Protection Authority (CPA) in England and in Wales to secure a much stronger focus on the complex work of child protection in the relevant institutions and statutory agencies;
A national redress scheme for England and for Wales, to provide monetary redress for child sexual abuse for those who have been let down by state and non state institutions in the past.
On behalf of CIS’ters, I wish to formally thank Professor Alexis Jay the Chair of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), her panel (Malcolm Evans, Ivor Frank and Drusilla Sharpling) and also members of the Victims and Survivors Consultative Panel – for all of their hard work and commitment to ensure that IICSA pursued difficult and challenging topics and overcame the barriers that were often placed to delay and cover up the true landscape of sexual abuse experienced by children. The courage of 1000s of victim/survivors, who spoke to IICSA, ensured that the true landscape of sexual abuse is now visible and undeniable.
Gillian, Victim/Survivor of Familial Sexual Abuse, Founder in 1995 of www.cisters.org.uk
→ IICSA Inquiry Report - Dated February 2022 - 'Child Exploitation Underreported with Authorities Struggling to Keep Pace'.
→ IICSA Inquiry Report - Dated June 2021 - 'Engagement with Children and Young People'
The authors spoke to 56 victims and survivors of child sexual abuse between the ages of 11 and 21, and 77 specialist child sexual abuse support workers.
'The overwhelming majority of young victims and survivors shared negative experiences of their involvement with the NHS run Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). It was said most CAMHS services did not understand the impact of child sexual abuse on a child’s emotional and mental health, and that several young victims and survivors said the service would only see them if they were suicidal.
Some young victims and survivors told us that the police had managed their privacy and confidentiality concerns poorly, which in some cases led to retaliation from people associated with the abuser. Many young victims and survivors said “the system” takes over after they disclose the abuse, making them feel disempowered and deterring them from sharing information again'.
The report also found that relationships and sex education in schools had been largely inadequate, with some children receiving no lessons on it at all. For others, the scope and quality of material covered was poor, with only the very basics being taught and little or no information about child sexual abuse.
The news item on this report can be viewed here at the IICSA website.
NHS England's Strategic Direction For Sexual Assault & Abuse Services
NHS England produced a 5 year inquiry into Sexual Assault and Abuse Services (SAAS) covering the period 2018-2023. At the outset NHS England established a Lived Experience Group (LEG) to provide input whilst the strategy was being developed and thereafter provide feedback and highlight issues. NHS England has regularly monitored progress linked to the SAAS document and also recently commenced a project to update the Strategy beyond 2023.
Statement from NHS England - 'Life long care for victims and survivors'. 'This strategic document outlines how services for victims and survivors of sexual assault and abuse, in all settings of the health and care system, need to evolve between now and 2023. It sets out six core priorities that NHS England will focus on to reduce inequalities experienced'.
NHS England's 5 year Strategic Direction for Sexual Assault & Abuse Services
Key Messages from Research on Intra-Familial CSA
Although the above research was carried out in June 2018 we felt it was still relevant and contains helpful information.
The Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse
Introducing the Brave Movement Global Challenge
'The Brave Movement is a new, powerful and global survivor-centred movement to end childhood sexual violence. We envision a world in which children and adolescents grow up free from the threat of sexual violence. The Brave Movement is demanding bold and transformative action from leaders of governments and institutions to rapidly scale comprehensive programs of prevention, healing and justice'.
'You are invited to develop a survivor-centered “National Call to Action” that includes a list of agreed demands from survivors, survivor networks, and allies that are needed for change in your country. Please reach out to and include the views of as many organizations, networks and individuals, survivors and allies, in your country as possible to reflect and represent the range of experiences of childhood sexual violence'.
https://www.bravemovement.org/global-challenge
The Office of National Statistics' Consultation on Exploring the Feasibility of Carrying Out a Survey Measuring Child Abuse in the UK - Response Published
https://consultations.ons.gov.uk/external-affairs/child-abuse-survey-consultation/
Overall, there was strong support to take this work forward. Responses demonstrated the importance of survey data for designing strategies to prevent and respond to child abuse, developing and providing relevant services, and raising awareness of abuse. The ONS would like to thank all respondents for their valuable feedback.
The MESARCH Project
This project is being undertaken by Coventry University and our founder Gillian is a member of the Study Steering Committee.
The MESARCH project is evaluating SARCs (Sexual Assault Referral Centres) across England. These centres provide a crisis response to victims of sexual assault and rape including a forensic examination suite and victim/survivors can self-refer to such centres.
The research project is funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and Health Services and Delivery programme (HS&DR). The project seeks to understand the work that SARCs do, its impact and where their services sit within the broader context of supporting survivors of sexual violence. The study also addresses a gap in knowledge about long term support required and experiences of survivors of sexual abuse and violence; it will enable us to answer questions about the widespread impact of violence on health and wellbeing over time, along with a range of other outcomes considered important by those with Lived Experiences of sexual assault, rape and abuse.
The MESARCH Project - An introduction.
Conference About Mapping the SARCS in England - Our founder Gillian took part in the conference.
MESARCH Project Video - Those with Lived Experience are integral to the research project and there is a diverse group of individuals who are part of the research team. This short video was produced as part of a key online conference which was held on 12th May 2021. Participants are from the Lived Experience group and they explain how they have helped to shape the study in many positive and different ways.