#ITSNOTOK - Sexual Abuse & Sexual Violence Week
We don’t talk about sexual abuse enough. That’s not okay. This is the message behind the inaugural Sexual Abuse & Sexual Violence Awareness Week which has been established to give an opportunity for the general public, statutory and third sector organisations to participate in a discussion about sexual abuse and sexual violence. During the week people will raise awareness about sexual abuse and sexual violence and how to prevent it in the UK.
The Awareness Week is planned to take place the first week of February every year. This year the event will take place during 1st - 7th February 2016. The topic for this year’s event is on the topic of conversation is ‘it’s not okay’. There will be a hashtag in use throughout the week on social media #itsnotok
Talking about sexual abuse is a challenge and not a subject that people generally feel comfortable to discuss. However, it is important for all those adults and children who have been affected by sexual abuse and sexual violence to be aware that as a country we will be having a public discussion about sexual abuse and sexual violence. Perpetrators also need to know that these discussions are taking place.
As much as it is a difficult subject to discuss, it is time that the topic is placed at the forefront of a national conversation, and helps promote specialist services that many organisations are offering. Sexual abuse and sexual violence are unacceptable and victims/survivors should not have to tolerate it. The Sexual Abuse & Sexual Violence Awareness Week is all inclusive and the aim is to ensure that everyone who has been subjected to sexual abuse and sexual violence can access the most appropriate support and advice, regardless of their ethnicity, gender identity, age, national origin, disability, sexual orientation or religion.
There are events planned across the United Kingdom. Here in Ipswich four organisations have come together to put on an event to support the campaign and to help highlight the services that area available in the local area. These organisations are:
- Survivors in Transition - SiT support male and female adult survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse, Violence and Exploitation in Suffolk and further afield, whose aim is to to empower survivors to take control of their lives and cope better with the daily effects the abuse has left them with
- Fresh Start - new beginnings - Fresh Start - new beginnings works through Suffolk, Norfolk and North Essex, and provides a therapeutic service for children and young people up to 18 years who have reported being sexually abused and to offer support for their families. The aim is to help children and young people make sense of the confusion they feel and to teach them coping strategies to deal with the difficulties they face
- The Ferns - The Ferns is a Sexual Assault Referral Centre and provides a one-stop location, offering medical care and emotional support to any victim of sexual assault in the area of Suffolk
- Suffolk Rape Crisis - Suffolk Rape Crisis (SRC) is a feminist organisation run by women for women, with the aim of actively challenging the discrimination, prejudice and harm that affect the lives of all women and girls, and especially the lives of those who have suffered sexual violence
The joint event is planned to take place on Wednesday 3rd March between 12 noon and 4pm at Survivors in Transition, 84 Fore Street, Ipswich, IP4 1LB. The event is not just for those who have been sexually abused. It is an open event, so please come along, find out more about how to support these organisations, and how to get involved.
You can also get involved by joining in the conversation on social media, by using the hashtage #itsnotok, follow the hashtag to see what else is happening, and you can also make contact with the local organisations named above to get involved in promoting awareness.
For more information
Website: www.sexualabuseandsexualviolenceawarenessweek.org
Email: [email protected]
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