The inspirational charity “turning the tables on abusers and changing the narrative”

An inspirational group of abuse survivors from Rochdale who want to change the narrative surrounding abuse are celebrating six vital years of helping people who need it most.

Directors Elicia and Zoe started the organisation with one goal in mind – to fix the system that failed them as children.

We sat down with Seph from REIGN to find out why their work is more important than ever.

The story of REIGN

“Being survivors of child sexual abuse and exploitation (CSA/E) meant we had first-hand experience of the impact of the crime but also how children can fall through the gaps of our system.

“We wanted to use our lived experience to educate professionals on what truly happens for children and young people when experiencing CSA/E and how mistakes can impact a victim/survivor’s life.

“The hope was to help professionals learn from past failures to stop history repeating itself.

“We also knew what we needed as children and wanted to share examples of good practice so young people today can receive the right care at the right time.”

The challenges faced by people who are survivors of child sexual abuse are huge.

Changing mindsets

Accessing support, narratives of ‘victimhood’, and trauma left by the perpetrators all present huge mountains for survivors to climb.

Seph continued: “Society is what starts the problem, the narrative of what a victim is, how this abuse looks, the perpetrators that carry out these crimes leaves a false idea which as a result means victims feel unable to come forward as they don’t fit this model of what abuse is.

“We must change our mindsets, stop thinking this crime is only happening to teenage girls from broken homes when it’s happening to boys, children from middle-class backgrounds, ones with loving families.

“It’s happening to children as young as newborn babies and it’s not just this scary older man who is committing these crimes, it’s the people you trust, the ones your place to live with, people who work in jobs that allow them access to children.”

Accessing support from abuse

When REIGN first launched in 2017, they started with a billboard campaign which called for Manchester residents to see that whilst child sexual abuse is a crime, talking about it isn’t.

They have carried that message throughout all the work they have done over the years hoping that people will realise that having these conversations has a lasting impact on victims feeling able to come forward and placing the blame back on the perpetrators.

In March 2024, REIGN also took to the streets of Rochdale putting on six events to spark awareness, allow connections to be built between victims/survivors, professionals and the community and offer everyone the chance to stand together to show abusers they won’t be silent anymore.

These spaces sparked change, shifting the dialogue around CSA/E and celebrated that victims and survivors are greater than the abuse they faced.

How sharing experiences grows understanding

“When we share our experiences, we grow people’s understanding,” said Seph.

“People need to hear it directly from those who have lived it to be able to truly see the journey this abuse takes and that can’t be given through traditional education.

“By using lived experience, you can create services that you needed as a child that also encourage other victims/survivors to use as they know it’s been created by people who truly understand what it’s like to face this abuse.

“We don’t just use our lived experience to shape new ways of working, but also to help professionals keep the child’s voice at the centre of all their decisions.”

Preventing sexual abuse starts with understanding it deeply, and that means listening to those who have lived through it.

Currently, many policies and actions only focus on a small part of sexual abuse and don’t consider all the ways it can harm people. This was highlighted in a recent report by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.

Sexual abuse usually happens in secret, so involving survivors in every part of responding to and preventing it is crucial.

Many survivors feel driven to share their experiences because they want things to be better for others who might go through the same thing.

By using what survivors have gone through to improve services, we can give them a sense of empowerment.

While some professionals are working hard to make changes, national and local policies and actions against sexual abuse need to make sure they include the experiences of survivors at every level.

Looking to the future with REIGN

“Since REIGN started our foundation has been built on educating professionals to protect other children,” Seph continued.

“We will want to do that but also introduce direct work that REIGN carries out in supporting victims/survivors.

“Over the next five years, REIGN wants to create new workshop content that addresses a wide range of topics related to CSE/A from exploitation inside the family, how to support victims going through the court process to understanding the impact of abuse in adulthood.

“We also want to allow more people the chance to access our workshop that’s why we will be introducing individual training where members of the public can book onto our training and not have to wait for their organisation to bring us in and our workshops will be CPD accredited to encourage more professionals to learn from those that have experienced abuse.”

REIGN is planning to offer services to both victims/survivors and young people with the aim of preventing abuse.

They understand that abusers silence children by taking away their voices, choices, and control.

Through REIGN’s youth programme, they will create a safe environment where young people can openly discuss issues that affect them, breaking the silence surrounding these topics.

REIGN will also be providing adult victims/survivors with their own platform.

The connection services will serve as a supportive space where survivors can connect with others who have gone through similar experiences.

Additionally, they can receive advice and practical assistance to develop their skills and access opportunities in education, work, and training.

You can find out more about REIGN’s work by clicking here