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TOTAL NUMBER OF CALLS: 6,348
FIRST TIME CALLERS; 2,593
REPEAT CALLERS; 1,080
INFORMATION & ADVICE CALLERS; 2,675
Although Survivors Swindon is regionally based, we regularly receive telephone calls from all over the UK, Europe and the USA, and in February 2004, we took part in a 2.5 hour telephone interview with a rape crisis line in Canada, who were looking to set up a helpline and/or group for adult male survivors, and had considered our model of healing to be the best they had reviewed.
We are currently supporting some of the male survivors from the Operation Emotion investigation in Plymouth, resulting in almost 3,000 men being identified as survivors of just one pedoscele. We look forward to building closer links with the guys who are due to start a male survivor support group sometime in 2005.
Calls for information came from partners, friends and allies to male survivors, and quite a few calls came from students asking for figures, studies, etc, despite our FAQ page saying we are unable to help on that issue.
TYPES OF ABUSE:
ABUSED BY A MALE: 74% Our records clearly show that if a man has been sexually abused as a child, the possibility of being sexually abused and bullied as an adult is far higher. There is also a connection to those boys who are once again sexually abused/raped by someone else, when the survivor is older, or has moved to another location.
We will shortly begin to research the connection between those men who have been sexually abused/raped as children, and who now define themselves as being gay.
ADULT RAPE (after age of 16 years); 13%
ADULT SEXUAL ASSAULT; 4%
ABUSED AS A CHILD AND ADULT; 15%
ABUSED BY A FEMALE: 19%
ABUSED BY MALE & FEMALE: 7%
% of Callers:
MALE; 95%
FEMALE; 5% (referred to female survivor agencies around the UK)
We maintain a database of current helpline agencies around the UK, who work with both male and female survivors of sexual abuse, most of which has been complied by DABS, and those agencies working with male survivors around the UK are currently listed on our Helplines page, as well as the DABS website.
Geographic location:
ENGLAND; 83%
WALES; 6%
SCOTLAND; 9%
EUROPE; 2% (Calls taken from Ireland, Spain, Germany and Holland)
Currently, some group members are travelling approximately 160 miles to and from group sessions each week.
18 to 25; 16%
26 to 30; 29%
30 to 45; 41%
46 and over; 14%
As seen over the years, the majority of men come forward to disclose at around the age of 35 years old, by which time they have almost lost everything, and can't see a way forward until they get the help they need.
Group Sessions:
A total of 96 hours spent in group sessions in 2004.
Sexual abuse of boys and men has no boundaries, which is defined in the nationalities of group members who come from the UK, Australia, New Zealand, USA, and Iraq, and even with the cultural differences, there are no barriers between us.
One to One Sessions:
A total of 620 hours spent in one to one sessions, recorded over the past 12 months (Jan 2004 ~ Dec 2004)
These one to one sessions have been held here in Swindon, as part of the group process, held weekly in a local prison, and in hostels in Bath.
Male survivors supported in group and one to one sessions since 1991: 3,911
Email Contact: (Jan 04 ~ Dec 04)
677 EMAILS
The vast majority of these have been from adult male survivors, asking for advice, support, and helplines in other areas, some have been from partners and friends of male survivors, asking how best to support them, and many emails have been about training sessions, which we are currently planning to deliver in 2005, around the UK.