Sexual abuse: a survivor’s story as Warwick charity turns thirty
A sexual violence and abuse charity hosted a celebration and
awareness-raising event at The Court House, Warwick, last week as it
turned 30 years old.
Safeline has supported tens-of-thousands of people through services based in Warwickshire, including counselling, forensic support, and more. They also operate the National Male Survivor Helpline across England and Wales.
One of the charity’s former clients is Cora-laine Moynihan, 22, who is a graduate of the University of Nottingham. She now works as a Development Co-ordinator.
"I had no one I trusted… I never went to anyone about it"
Whilst very young, she experienced both sexual abuse and violence. Due to legal issues, some aspects of her story cannot be published. However, she has bravely waived her legal right to anonymity to speak out about her experiences.
It caused emotional trauma, as Ms Moynihan said: “I was a very violent child because of everything I experienced.
“I engaged a lot in self-harm. I also attempted suicide multiple times. I think to this day it was five times, all unsuccessful. But I was very secretive about it all.
“I kept it all to myself. I had no one I trusted. I never went to anyone about it. And that’s what led me to being forced to go to the doctors.“
"Life is too short for us to be forcing people to suffer in silence"
After being referred to Safeline at the age of 13, Ms Moynihan remained a client for around three years. However, she felt very unsupported when initially trying to find help.
She explained that she felt “failed [by] pretty much by every support
service and everyone that I turned to for help.” It’s also why she is
particularly passionate about fundraising for charities.
Ms Moynihan continued: “Life is too short for us to be forcing people to suffer in silence for so long.
“We need to be doing a lot more as a country, town by town, so that it does not get to the point where we’re attending funerals and vigils constantly.”
During her years as a client, she started art therapy before moving on to face-to-face counselling.
However, money remains a key challenge for many sexual abuse charities, which results in increased waiting times for victims.
In January 2024, the charity CRASAC had a funding contract with Coventry City Council not renewed due to waiting times increasing to 18 months.
"74% of kids we’re helping are self-harming and talking about suicide"
Yet despite this, the NHS refers many clients to such charities, with Safeline’s CEO Neil Henderson saying: “The NHS are one of our biggest referrals. They’re happy to use our services.
“But they’re not prepared to pay for them, so we use the funding that we get from elsewhere to support these individuals. All of them need support, and we would never, ever let somebody down.
“74% of kids we’re helping are self-harming and talking about suicide. If we weren’t here, people would be dying.”
It’s the success stories that made Safeline’s 30th-anniversary special for Mr Henderson, with it being used to display the positive work charities can do when supporting victims.
The event had a showing of the award-winning film ‘Barricade‘
about sexual harassment in schools – and it was attended by the town’s
Mayor, the Warwickshire Police and Crime Commissioner, and many members
of the public.
Mr Henderson said: “What keeps us going is we focus on the outcomes for the people we support, and not what’s happened to them.
“That creates a real positive environment as well. When you think we’ve been doing that for 30 years, it’s absolutely incredible.”
While Safeline continues to provide support to people nationwide, the Warwickshire Police and Crime Commissioner, Philip Seccombe, is urging victims to come forward and report abuse.
He said: “Together we must make it clear ‘It’s not OK’, that sexual
violence and abuse is unacceptable, and that agencies will do everything
possible to support victims and bring perpetrators to justice.”
If you’ve been affected by the issues in this story, you can find support below:
If you’re in immediate danger, you should dial 999.
Nationwide support:
Samaritans – 24/7 mental health & suicide helpline: 116 123.
Childline – 24/7 children & young person’s helpline: 0800 1111.
Safeline – Mon-Fri 9am-8pm & Sat-Sun 10am-2pm male survivor helpline: 0808 800 5005.
Local support (Warwickshire & Coventry):
Safeline – Mon-Fri 9am-5pm survivor helpline: 0808 800 5008.
Wellbeing for Warwickshire – 24/7 non-crisis helpline: 0800 616171.
Ben Mellor for CBJ News, Nottingham Trent University
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