“What they are not understanding is the help-seeking behaviours of male survivors”
To save money, the Ministry of Justice has chosen to stop funding the only specialist male helpline dedicated to supporting men and boys impacted by sexual violence in England and Wales.
We are so grateful to Lee for so bravely sharing his story and to Cathy Newman and the team at Channel 4 News for their empathetic and informed reporting on the impact of this decision on male survivors.
The MoJ believe male survivors have alternative provision with an all gender 24/7 Helpline that exists, however, the male survivor who spoke out as part of the Channel 4 interview doesn’t believe it is a suitable alternative.
In his words, ‘having a dedicated helpline for male survivors was one less barrier for me to share, from the first call, I felt heard, understood, validated’.
95% of the 2,000 male survivors that were supported by the helpline last year, feel the same.
The male helpline has transformed support for male survivors in England and Wales over the last 9-years, yet when the Government need to make savings, support services for males are the first to be cut. The consequence of this decision is frightening. 89% of male survivors that use the service present with suicide ideation, 10% of these were actively trying to end their lives.
Every survivor of sexual violence deserves support, including males.
Please stand in support of survivors of sexual abuse.
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