Coventry survivor fundraising for “life-changing” sexual abuse charity
An estimated 1 in 5 children in the UK have been sexually abused.
A local sexual abuse survivor will be running the Warwick Half Marathon this weekend (4 February) to fundraise for the charity who helped her recovery.
Jade O’Driscoll has raised over £1300 for Coventry Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre (CRASAC), which is enough money for another person to receive the same support she did.
The charity recently announced it will have to stop waiting list referrals after facing a huge decrease in funding by the local authority.
Jade said: "Before receiving support from CRASAC my mental health was at an all-time low and I had begun to develop symptoms of delayed post-traumatic stress disorder. I was in my final year of studies and reached out to my university for help, but they could only offer me a few sessions of counselling which left me feeling worse.
"The long term one-to-one counselling, group therapy sessions and access to an Independent Sexual Violence Advisor I was able to access through CRASAC has been invaluable. Without them, I am sure I would still be struggling today."
The 23-year-old went to CRASAC after struggling for over twenty years to come to terms with the sexual abuse she experienced as a toddler.
She said: "I will be running this half marathon not only for who I am today but for the 3-year-old me who didn’t know what was happening. I am running it for the 10-year-old me who used to run every Friday lunchtime and dreamed of one day running as far as a half marathon. I am running it for all the future girls, boys, women and men who will receive support from CRASAC. I am running it for everyone who can relate to this but is too afraid to speak up and reach out to receive help.
"The work CRASAC does is truly life-changing, as I’ve learnt first-hand. And if you are suffering in silence, please reach out for support."
CRASAC is the only service in the city which provides specialist counselling and advocacy support to victims – with over a quarter of referrals being children.
The charity aims to address the trauma and injustice of abuse by giving victims and survivors a voice.
Natalie Thompson, CEO at CRASAC says: "We are pleased that Jade has felt able to share her story. The scale and impact of sexual abuse is largely hidden in society and yet the trauma it causes can have devastating effects on an individual for many years.
"Jade’s experiences accessing support prior to coming to CRASAC really highlights the need for statutory funding for services such as ours so we can continue to ensure that survivors of sexual violence and abuse get the help they so desperately need and deserve."
An estimated 1 in 5 children in the UK have been sexually abused (1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys) with a third of overall police recorded sexual offences against children.
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