All Party Parliamentary Group Report

I believe research should aim to change things for the better so I feed my results in wherever I can. One submission I made was to the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Adult Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse (CSA). They have published the first in a series of reports and included the evidence I submitted, alongside evidence from organisations and individuals. You can read the report here.

The recommendations they make in this report are:

1. Research the economic and social costs of CSA.
2. Fund core support services.
3. Collect data on the demand for support and ring-fence money to meet that demand.
4. Inform professionals how to respond in a trauma informed way.
5. Have a government public health campaign to destroy CSA myths and stereotypes

I’m happy with these recommendations. It is clear in my research how underfunded mental health services are and how poorly professionals can react to CSA disclosure as well as how badly this impacts individuals who have experienced CSA. The fifth recommendation is key – stigma and stereotyping makes recovering so much harder.

I hope that the government takes this report on board – it makes financial and moral sense to do so. I’ll look forward to reading the other reports when they are released. Many thanks to everyone who contributed to my research.