The Survivors Trust is a national umbrella agency for over 125 specialist

voluntary sector The voluntary sector, independent sector, or civic sector is the realm of social activity undertaken by organizations that are non-governmental nonprofit organizations. This sector is also called the third sector, community sector, and nonprofit s ...

agencies throughout the UK and Ireland providing a range of counselling, therapeutic and support services working with women, men and children who are victims/ survivors of

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ag ...

sexual violence Sexual violence is any sexual act or attempt to obtain a sexual act by violence or coercion, act to traffic a person, or act directed against a person's sexuality, regardless of the relationship to the victim.World Health Organization., World re ...

and

sexual abuse Sexual abuse or sex abuse, also referred to as molestation, is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using force or by taking advantage of another. Molestation often refers to an instance of sexual assa ...

. The organisation aims to offer a national collective voice to support and empower survivor groups, to educate and inform acknowledgment of and response to sexual abuse on a local and national level.

About

The Survivors Trust originated in 1999/2000, when key individuals within five specialist support agencies began to actively seek a peer group. The Survivors Trust became a registered charity in 2005 and since then has continued to develop new partnerships and to work at a national level. As at 2008, The Survivors Trust has over 120 member groups. As a charitable organisation The Survivors Trust has received funding from the Victims Fund and the UK Government to carry out its work, among other sources. The UK Government Home Office has also recognised The Survivors Trust as one of the main umbrella groups which provides support to the sexual violence and abuse voluntary sector in the UK and representatives from The Survivors Trust sit on the Stakeholder Advisory Group on Sexual Violence and Abuse, an advisory group to the UK Government.

Core aims

The main aims of The Survivors Trust are to support and empower survivors of rape, sexual violence and/or

childhood sexual abuse Child sexual abuse (CSA), also called child molestation, is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include engaging in sexual activities with a child (whether ...

by: * Providing a collective voice and peer networking for members; * Raising awareness about sexual abuse and/or rape and its effects on survivors, their supporters and society at large; * Informing acknowledgement of, and effective responses to, rape and sexual abuse on a local, regional and national level.

External links

The Survivors Trust
Official website of The Survivors Trust
Directory and Books Services (DABS)
DABS is a specialist book and information service for people who are overcoming childhood abuse, sexual abuse, or

domestic violence Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for ''intimate partner ...

, and for those who live or work with survivors.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Survivors_Trust Counseling organizations Sexual abuse advocacy and support groups Organisations based in Warwickshire Rape in the United Kingdom Rape in the Republic of Ireland