When You Are Ready: National campaign launched to support victims and survivors

Devon and Cornwall Police is supporting a new national campaign that focuses on encouraging victims and survivors of child sexual abuse and exploitation to reach out for support.

When You Are Ready, which has been fully informed by those with lived experience from start to finish, hopes to make victims and survivors feel seen and heard, to know they’re not alone and encourage them to tell a friend, contact a support organisation and feel empowered to take that step, whenever they’re ready to do so.

The campaign was launched by the national Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) Taskforce.

When You Are Ready centres on a hard hitting three-minute film which features the voices of victims and survivors who have experienced child sexual abuse and exploitation – this includes both contact and online offences.

The film does not discuss the abuse experienced but details the experience each victim and survivor had in making the hard decision to disclose their abuse to a loved one, support organisation and/or the police, and the impact it had on their life thereafter.

You can watch the film above and on the website for the When You Are Ready campaign, which also contains information about support: whenyouareready.co.uk 

Detective Chief Inspector Steve Alexander with the Devon and Cornwall Police Public Protection Unit said: “We hope that the film resonates with victims and survivors highlighting that they are not alone, and that this is happening to other people, like them, who are living and thriving.

“We encourage victims and survivors to reach out for support if that’s the right thing to do for them - whether it’s telling a friend, or contacting a support organisation, or contacting the police. We want them to feel empowered to take a step. If you’ve been abused or exploited as a child, there is support here for you, when you are ready. We will listen and understand.”

If someone is ready to take the next step in disclosing their experience, the film signposts victims and survivors to the bespoke campaign website directing them to a range of services and support organisations, as well as includes details on how to report to the police.

The National Police Chief Council’s (NPCC) lead for Child Protection and Abuse and Investigation, ACC Becky Riggs, said: “We want victims and survivors to feel positive and hopeful after seeing this campaign.

“From our work with victims and survivors, we understand it can take many years to process the abuse or exploitation that they experienced. For some, it may even take years just to acknowledge that what they experienced was, in fact, abuse, and not the loving or caring actions of someone they could trust.

“We also understand, from extensive research undertaken, that ‘justice’ for victims and survivors doesn’t necessarily mean a criminal justice outcome and simply telling someone can be enough.

“However, if victims do take the hugely difficult decision to disclose their abuse, they should be reassured that there are organisations who can provide help and support, whenever they are ready.”

If you are ready to report what has happened to you, visit the Devon and Cornwall Police website and click on the “Report” tab or call 101. 

You will also find national and local support details on the Devon and Cornwall Police website www.devon-cornwall.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/caa/child-abuse