Sexual Abuse and Sexual Violence Awareness Week
The first week in February this year marks the national Sexual Abuse and Sexual Violence Awareness Week. This year we’re sharing the hashtag #ItsNotOK.
Sexual Abuse & Sexual Violence Awareness Week is the UK’s national week to raise awareness of sexual abuse and violence and to provide an opportunity for any organisation or individual to engage in dialogue. It’s often uncomfortable to talk about these things, but it’s so important to face the dark of the world we live in. We never know when the right word might give someone else a route to hope and healing.
Statistics tell us that 1 in 4 women have been raped since the age of 16 and 1 in 18 men have been raped or sexually assaulted. Rape Crisis England and Wales also tells us that 1 in 6 children have experienced sexual abuse in their lifetime. And in any given year, 1 in 30 women will experience rape.
There is a way forward
This is a hard thing to think about, let alone have conversations about with people we know. But it’s even harder to process what might be happening or have happened, especially without the right support. Sometimes it’s easier to talk to someone you don’t know, which is why accredited and ethically managed helplines are so important for survivors of abuse and those experiencing crisis pregnancies or other issues.
On Life’s National Helpline, we deal with people facing unexpected pregnancy every day and it’s reported that in the UK each year, as many as 3,300 babies are conceived as a result of sexual assault[1]. Because so many instances of rape and sexual violence go unreported each year, and many are within the home, it’s very difficult to know for sure how many women are experiencing this.
But what can I do?
This is even more reason for us to be courageous enough to have conversations, share the statistics and make sure we know what support is out there – and that we share that information through the grapevines of our own networks.
You can change someone’s life just by passing on, first or second or third hand, even, that there is support available with charities like Life and the Rape & Sexual Abuse Support Line.
No doubt you are experiencing your own range of emotions reading about this unacceptable reality. What can you do?
Be open to learning more, and to talking more. Are you brave enough to share the #ItsNotOK hashtag on social media, or to mention some of the statistics in this article to someone you know?
We recently wrote with gratitude for the bravery of Natalie Fleet MP, who revealed in an interview that she conceived her daughter as a result of assault and of the pressure she was under to terminate the pregnancy at only 15. This situation is nowhere near as rare as it should be, but we can only applaud Ms Fleet for continuing the pregnancy and recognising even at that young age that the assault and the pregnancy were two different things. One can be extremely traumatic, the other can become the “absolute love of my life”.
Where to get help
If you or someone you know is facing a pregnancy as a result of assault, our Helpline can offer specialist support and free counselling at short notice in order to give you or the people close to you a space to process the situation.
Go to lifecharity.org.uk and click one of the contact buttons to reach someone who’s ready to listen.
Have brave conversations, raise awareness
If you’d like to share our social media posts for the #ItsNotOK campaign, click one of these links:
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