Engage: Survivors break silence in report revealing devastating impact of child sexual abuse

The British Association of Social Workers (BASW) is supporting a new report launched by the charity One in Four that reveals the devastating long-term impact of child sexual abuse on individuals and society and calls for greater awareness by health-related professionals and better access to specialist treatment services for survivors.

People who were sexually abused as children by relatives or family friends are breaking their silence in the report, describing the long-term pain and trauma they have suffered after being abused by the people they should have been able to trust most.

Despite recent high profile cases involving celebrities and criminal gangs, evidence suggests that around 70% of child sexual abuse (CSA) takes place within the family.

Such is the level of shame and fear that of those who contributed, nearly 90% have never informed the police, preferring to stay silent and mask their internal feelings of chaos, not knowing what help they need.

The report therefore gives a powerful insight into a problem that remains poorly understood.

‘Survivors’ Voices: Breaking the silence on living with the impact of child sexual abuse in the family environment’ has been issued by the charity One in Four, which helps people traumatised by child sexual abuse (CSA). The report contains accounts written by survivors to help them come to terms with their past and show others how CSA shapes lives.

One woman wrote: “I perfected the art of looking happy and internalised the abuse and kept all the difficult feelings inside.” Another wrote: “I never told anyone about the sexual abuse I was subjected to, and that has shaped a lot of my life.”

Linda Dominguez, Director of One in Four said: “By finally speaking out in this way, these survivors have put a personal, human face onto a crime that feeds on secrecy and anonymity. Their accounts expose a problem that has a far-reaching impact not just on individuals, on families, but also on society as a whole.”

Sexual abuse in childhood has been shown to be an underlying factor in a range of health conditions such as eating disorders, self-harm, and addiction to drugs, alcohol or sex. It can result in failed or damaged relationships, and can manifest itself in mental illnesses such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and suicidal thoughts or behaviour. Ministry of Justice research shows more than a quarter of women and men in prison report experiencing emotional, physical and/or sexual abuse in childhood.

Yet because it is a largely hidden crime, CSA is all too often missed by health professionals treating mental and physical disorders in their patients. One in Four is calling for greater awareness and better training for those working in healthcare, to help them recognise and manage cases involving past childhood sexual abuse.

A spokesperson said: “Our experience shows when survivors are heard and understood by professionals, they are gradually able to heal and recover from their abuse.

“However, the trauma resulting from CSA is often not recognised or addressed. This means survivors can waste years before finding effective support to help them recover from the sexual abuse they experienced in childhood. Without appropriate care and support survivors’ coping strategies can be negative and destructive to the well-being of themselves and society in general.”

One in Four is urging professionals working in areas such as drug and alcohol dependency, mental health, and eating disorders to ask their clients if they have a history of trauma such as CSA. This means behaviour can be linked to its underlying cause and patients can be offered appropriate treatment, including referral to specialist sexual abuse agencies.

To provide practical support, One in Four is issuing a new guide to help health workers understand the long-term effects of child sexual abuse. The publication, called ‘Responding to Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse’, offers advice, guidance and key practice points including how to manage disclosure, identify vulnerabilities, and direct survivors into specialist care pathways. The booklet also contains guidance for partners, families and friends on how best to support survivors and help them recover from past sexual abuse.

The author, CSA expert Christiane Sanderson, said: “Sexual abuse is not just something that happened in a person’s childhood. It can remain alive inside them and their families, sustained by secrecy and silence to protect the abuser and other relatives. Trust is often distorted and ultimately destroyed, and it is vital that health professionals understand this process so they can treat survivors and help them to ultimately escape from their past.”

Karen Goodman, Professional Officer, British Association of Social Workers (BASW), commented, “The social work profession is all too aware of the appalling impact of sexual abuse on children and the paucity, in particular of therapeutic services, for survivors. BASW supports the work of One in Four and encourages all professionals in the field to read this report. There is under recognition of both the emotional and economic impact of sexual abuse with a high proportion of those in our mental health and criminal justice systems being survivors, trying to cope with the impact of their abusive histories.”