New research from the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse has found that 9 per cent of victims and survivors who have come forward to its Truth Project were from an ethnic minority background.
More than 4,000 survivors of child sexual abuse have now shared experiences with the Truth Project in England and Wales. Of these, 3,646 personal accounts have been analysed for research.
Nine percent of survivors were from an ethnic minority background, under a third (32 percent) were male and most of those who came forward were between 50 and 59 years old.
Helping to build a fuller picture of the impact of childhood abuse, figures released earlier this month by the Office for National Statistics revealed that 7.5 percent of adults have experienced sexual abuse before the age of 16, and those with a disability were twice as likely to have experienced sexual abuse than those without a disability (13.4 percent and 6.6 percent respectively.)
The Truth Project heard that almost all survivors who shared their account were impacted by the abuse, with over a third (38 percent) talking about depression, and almost one in 10 describing a physical injury as a direct consequence of the abuse.
Today, the Inquiry is also publishing a further 80 accounts shared with its Truth Project.
Sabah Kaiser, ambassador to the Inquiry said:
“Through the Inquiry, as an Asian woman and survivor of child sexual abuse, I hope sharing my experience will empower others in a similar situation to come forward to the Truth Project.
“If we are to protect children in the future, it’s important that we hear from everyone who has experienced abuse, to better understand the lasting impacts and help prevent it from ever happening again.”
Survivors of child sexual abuse who would like to share their experiences in writing, over the phone or in person can get in touch with the Inquiry’s Truth Project. Visit www.truthproject.org.uk or email share@iicsa.org.uk.
