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Victims of abuse to tell their stories

Graham Robson November 22, 2017

‘Truth Project’ inquiry comes to Brighton in January.

The Truth Project, part of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, which is examining the extent to which institutions and organisations failed to protect children in England and Wales from sexual abuse, will be hearing from victims and survivors in Brighton in January 2018.

The project, which launches across England and Wales next year, was set up to give victims and survivors of child sexual abuse the opportunity to share their experiences in a supportive and confidential setting. Information gathered in Truth Project sessions will mean the Inquiry can get a better picture of the past to help create a safer place for children in the future.

Peter Saunders, Victims and Survivors Consultative Panel member, said: “Victims and survivors of child sexual abuse often tell me they’ve been silenced, ignored and failed by organisations they trusted. That was my experience too.

“We cannot change what went wrong in the past but by talking to the Truth Project, together, we can help to protect the next generation.”

Drusilla Sharpling, Inquiry Panel member and head of the Truth Project, added: “People from all walks of life experience child sexual abuse. Whoever you are, and whatever your background, the Truth Project is here to listen to you.

“The experiences victims and survivors share with the Inquiry will help us make recommendations to keep children safe in future, so that institutions and individuals can never again say, ‘We did not know’.”

The Truth Project aims to put victims and survivors’ needs first. Victims and survivors can share as much or as little information as they feel comfortable with and suggest measures that might protect children from sexual abuse in the future.

Sessions will be with a trained facilitator in a confidential setting, the Inquiry can cover travel expenses, and victims and survivors can bring a companion with them.

For more information, view: www.truthproject.org.uk or phone 0800 917 1000 (weekdays from 8am–8pm).

Facebook: Truth Project

Twitter: @InquiryCSA

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