Wiltshire charity calls on parents to keep children safe online
FearFree have issued a guide to parents to reduce the risk of harm to their children
Parents in Wiltshire are being urged to keep their children safe from sexual abuse online.
Wiltshire-based charity FearFree are raising awareness of sexual violence this week, something they say isn't reported enough.
What they do know is that one in three women and one in 18 men have been sexual assaulted as an adult, while one in six children are sexually abused.
The charity's Director of Services, Emily Denne, told us there's still lot of stigma around sexual violence.
"I think there's quite a lot of victim blaming," she said, "We hear comments about people being dressed as certain way, or that they were drinking, for example.
"We're very clear that no victim is ever to blame for sexual violence."
Emily added that there's a perception that sexual violence is committed "by a stranger in the dark", but actually the truth is often quite the opposite, with many victims knowing their abuser, meaning they're likely to be trusting of them.
Technology could be putting young people at risk
The charity's Sexual Violence Therapeutic Team currently supports 124 children and young people across Wiltshire and Swindon helping them to rebuild their lives after sexual violence.
And there's major concerns that the advancement of technology, and the ease at which we can access things online, is leaving many more children exposed to possible abuse.
"Digital technology is really changing the way crimes can occur," Emily said, "We know that all of these technological advances are really exciting, but they actually mean there's new ways to commit sexual harm.
"It's really important that all of us worked to kind of educate young people around that and make sure people can keep themselves safe."
Emily told Greatest Hits Radio that survivors of sexual violence can have their lives heavily impacted by its lasting affects. It impacts every part of a victim's life, be it their emotional and psychological wellbeing as well as their physical and day-to-day feelings.
"For children, it means they're less likely to stay in education and for adults, they might struggle to remain in a job or not feel safe at home anymore," she said.
This week, 5th-12th February is Sexual Violence Awareness week and FearFree have released some guidance for parents on helping keep their children safe.
Their document provides some tips on how to protect themselves from revenge porn and cyberflashing.
It is a criminal offence for under 18s to take, store or share sexual images, videos and memes, a law that also applies to selfies. It's against the law for an over 18 to take, share or store sexual content to an under 18.
We can find out more about how FearFree help support survivors of sexual abuse here.