Break The Silence

When I first moved into my new apartment with a stranger, only known to me as my friend's girlfriend - I was unknowingly subjected to the glorified dramatics of 'Hollyoaks'. Mock at first, I did but little did I know how much relevance there would be, underlying a lot of what I initially thought were "crazy" stories. One of the most prominent stories was the rape of male character, John Paul McQueen. This brought about a lot of awareness towards male rape which is often more under the radar than female rape.

In August, I began my research into male rape and discovered a local charity called Survivors Manchester. Survivors Manchester focus on the well-being of survivors of male rape and abuse who will often feel a loss of confidence that perhaps a woman would not experience. Primarily, the sense of curtailing masculinity. There is a lot of stigma around rape that can see incidences not being reported or even acknowledged for a number of years. 

Survivors Manchester offer a variety of support services to male survivors like telephone support, face-to-face support, support groups, online guides, and even information for friends and family of survivors who are looking to support where and when they can. Their survivors booklet which is available online, has a collection of first hand stories from survivors which are filled with empowering lessons told by some of the bravest people on the planet. The charity themselves had a direct input into the story of John Paul which saw the actor James Sutton visit Survivors Manchester himself to get a sound understanding of the role he was to play. 

When I visited the charity, Tom who is the clinical lead at Survivors Manchester gave me a brief overview of the charity and the office they work in. While the work and support they offer is incredibly widespread, they still remain quite a small charity who use a range of methods to publicise their services, including creative platforms like blogs and social media. I created a care package to be shared or donated to a survivor which included personal grooming products, organisational material and a DVD. Tom advises to include items that will directly improve the clients well-being and items the improve life management skills like notebooks and calenders. 

While male orientated, the website does also offer information for female survivors too. Help support Survivors Manchester by donating, shopping Amazon through the associates program, browsing the web through Everyclick or simply sharing this post to raise awareness. 

For more information, visit the website by clicking the banner and/or icons below. 

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