Sexual Violence Awareness Week shines light on support services in Surrey
Surrey is marking Sexual Abuse and Sexual Violence Awareness Week, a national campaign aimed at breaking the silence around sexual violence and making sure survivors know support is available.
Sexual abuse and violence can affect people of all ages, genders and backgrounds, but many survivors find it hard to come forward. Some may not realise what happened to them was wrong, while others may feel fear, shame or worry about not being believed.
Organisations like the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre (RASASC) say awareness is vital to help challenge myths, reduce stigma and let survivors know they are not alone.
Support available in Surrey
RASASC provides free, confidential support to anyone in Surrey who has experienced sexual abuse or sexual violence, whether it happened recently or in the past.
RASASC’s team includes specialist ISVAs with experience in trauma-informed practice and a range of client needs, including mental health issues, LGBTQ+ survivors, and people from marginalised communities. This multidisciplinary approach ensures survivors receive tailored support that respects their individual experiences.
By engaging with healthcare professionals, schools and community partners, RASASC also helps raise awareness of healthy relationships, consent, and how to respond compassionately to disclosures of abuse.
The charity's CEO Daisy Anderson told us this:
"There's still so much misinformation and ignorance around sexual violence. It's still a taboo subject. "
"We're getting much better at talking about it and there's been lots, you know, recently in recent years. So it's increasing in terms of our ability to talk about it, but we're still very much in the foothills."
The charity offers:
A helpline and online chat for initial support
Counselling to help survivors process their experiences
Independent Sexual Violence Advisors (ISVAs), who offer practical and emotional support
Support is available whether or not someone has reported the abuse to the police.
Why awareness matters
Daisy went onto say:
"I think we need to sort of make that clear, the scale of it, because then people will start to understand what it is we need to do to address it."
"So organisations like ours, we can provide that support, but we can't do as much as we would like to do. "
She said:
"And we're being very resourceful and finding ways to stretch, you know, the resources that we do have as far as possible, because we're absolutely determined to be able to try and make support accessible for everybody. "
Sexual violence is still often seen as a taboo subject, and misinformation can leave survivors feeling misunderstood or unsupported. Awareness Week encourages open conversations and helps people understand how to respond with care and compassion.
RASASC says that when survivors receive the right support at the right time, recovery outcomes can be positive, but demand for services continues to grow.
Anyone affected by sexual abuse or violence, or supporting someone who is, can find more information and support through RASASC’s services.