Therapy is a lifeline for survivors of sexual abuse. We must fund it properly
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Version 0 of 1. The financial state of organisations that support survivors of sexual abuse is a poor reflection of how much this society really does care about them. A lack of secure funding is crippling a sector that is facing unprecedented demand. It means that survivors face long waiting lists for therapy. It means organisations are forced to close, just when they are starting to establish themselves. It stifles innovation because charities are too busy trying to keep the lights on instead of using their time and energy to deliver better services. Related: Child sexual abuse charities face closure due to funding 'stitch up' What would happen if other sectors were funded in this way? What would happen to our teachers, nurses, surgeons and police officers if they had to apply for their own funding every three years, despite the obvious demand for their services? Unfortunately charities can’t rely on the public to dig into their pockets and provide the financial security they need. When I was a trustee at Survivors UK, we struggled to get members of the public to engage with us. We didn’t attract funding from corporations. People don’t like to talk about abuse, which means they don’t have conversations about the great work these organisations do. Just like abuse itself, those who support survivors of abuse are often out of sight and out of mind, which makes fundraising from anywhere other than the government or foundations virtually impossible. So we’re left with our current situation of poorly funded organisations and growing waiting lists. A waiting list for someone living with trauma can be a death sentence. Have you ever wondered why it can take so long for someone to recover from sexual abuse? Why people are still deeply affected by it decades later? Why it sends some people into a life of drug addiction and long-term physical and mental health problems? It’s because sexual abuse is a crime against the self. A crime that affects the very core of who you are. A crime where your agency, choice and validity are momentarily erased by someone else. Physical scars may heal, but abuse can leave psychological scars that affect every aspect of your self – your sense of control, your relationship with your body, your ability to connect with others. Recovery is a slow process of understanding that the abuse was real, that it wasn’t your fault, and that the guilt and shame belong to your abuser. It’s a slow journey full of setbacks, as you learn to understand how you responded to the abuse and how to live with the impact of trauma. It’s the kind of journey where long-term specialist support is essential. You need a therapist who is experienced at building a relationship with someone who is struggling to trust others. Someone who will help you understand trauma, navigate your responses to the abuse and help you learn new ways of coping. The reason why you might not be able to hear a loud uproar is because survivors of abuse are used to being silenced I know many such therapists. They do a job that most of us simply could not do. Every day they listen to the stories of abuse. They see the pain, anger and shame. They delve in to the very area that most of us take great effort to avoid thinking about. And they do it because they are deeply passionate about their work and the people they get to work with. The work these people do is life-saving. As a society we should value their work, just as we value the skills of other professions who save lives. But many survivors who have found the courage to seek the support they need are facing long waits or a lack of service provision in their area. And the reason you might not be able to hear a loud uproar is because survivors of abuse are used to being silenced and the organisations working with them are too busy fighting fires to also campaign for better funding. They need their community to get over their fears and get involved, to start talking about abuse so that it’s no longer a taboo. They need us to start asking questions about the funding of services in our local area and for members of their community to volunteer their time, skills and energy. If we really do care about sexual abuse we can’t just care in silence. We’ll care enough to act. |