SV2, Derbyshire’s leading charity that supports anyone who has experienced sexual abuse, has gained official recognition for its work to support male victims and survivors – paving the way for the organisation to help more people across the county.
The charity, which has bases in locations including Derby and Ripley, has gained independent accreditation for the support it provides to male survivors across Derbyshire and hopes that more will now feel more confident to reach out for help and support.
SV2 (originally known as Derbyshire Rape Crisis) supports victims and survivors of sexual abuse and their families to inform, support, protect and empower them. SV2 also works to prevent and raise awareness of rape and sexual abuse and their effects through training and education programmes across the county.
Between March 2022 and March 2023, the charity supported 955 children, young people and adults through a range of services including ISVA support through the criminal justice system, counselling and therapy.
Around 10% of referrals were male – compared with the national average of 20%; and 13% of people supported through the criminal justice system by SV2 last year were male.
According to research by the University of Bristol on behalf of the Male Survivors Partnership, the average duration between sexual violence and disclosure is over two decades for men.
The research revealed that a key barrier was the perception held by many that unwanted sexual experiences happen to and impact women, and not men.
It also found that delayed disclosure or non-disclosure can increase survivors’ isolation and susceptibility to mental health problems and even suicide.
The quality and consistency of SV2’s work were assessed to meet the nationally-recognised Male Quality Standards. These have been developed by the UK’s leading sexual violence training and development organisation, LimeCulture, on behalf of the national Male Survivors Partnership in recognition that specific support services are needed for male victims of sexual abuse and sexual violence.
The standards scrutinise an organisation’s
- Leadership and governance including robust policies, procedures and training
- The levels of access and engagement which are appropriate for male service users
- Service delivery ranging from flexibility to individualised support
- Outcomes and evaluation including listening to feedback from service users
Under a separate evaluation, SV2 has also gained accreditation for the training it provides on this and the wider issue of sexual abuse and sexual violence for all genders which is designed for fellow professionals and part of their on-going training and development.
SV2 CEO Rachel Morris explained: “We already support all genders of any age regardless of when their experience of sexual abuse occurred and whether they have reported the crime to police or not.
“It is clear that there are physical and psychological impacts of sexual abuse and sexual violence for both genders. However, research indicates that the impact on males can be exacerbated due to societal expectations of masculinity and male behaviour.
“This means that many men do not report or seek help for sexual abuse and sexual violence – whether recent or historic.
“Having gained this official recognition for the quality of our work, I hope that it will encourage more male victims and survivors of sexual abuse – whenever that abuse took place – to contact us and access the support and therapeutic services that they need to move forward with their lives.”
For more information about SV2 and the services it offers in Derbyshire, please visit this link.