Sexual Abuse and Sexual Violence Awareness Week is an important moment for us to reflect on how abuse continues to affect children and vulnerable people, not only from strangers, but far more often within families, trusted networks and institutions meant to care for them.
This week encourages open conversation, raises awareness of hidden forms of harm and reinforces the need for stronger safeguarding across society.
Understanding sexual violence
Sexual violence includes any sexual act carried out without consent. It can involve rape, sexual assault, child sexual abuse, harassment, coercion, manipulation, trafficking, exploitation, female genital mutilation and forced marriage. These harms can happen in homes, online, in relationships, within schools, religious settings, sports clubs and workplaces.
Some groups, including women, children, LGBTQ+ people and people with disabilities, are at greater risk, making inclusivity and accessible safeguarding essential.
Institutional Abuse: when trusted environments fail
Many children are abused in settings built around care, support and education. Abuse in institutions such as schools, churches and sports organisations can be overlooked because these environments rely on trust, authority and routine. Warning signs may be dismissed, concerns may not be escalated, and reputational fears can outweigh the need for accountability.
Schools: In schools, abuse may be missed when individuals hold long‑standing reputations, when peer‑to‑peer harm is minimised, or when safeguarding processes are inconsistent. Our Abuse Team has represented survivors whose experiences show how important robust training and decisive action are.
Churches and Faith Groups: Faith settings often carry deep cultural and spiritual influence. Abuse may go unreported when disclosures are discouraged, when governance is weak or when historic patterns of silence continue.
Sports Clubs and Community Groups: In sport, close mentoring relationships and frequent one‑to‑one contact can create opportunities for abuse if not properly supervised. Many survivors we support describe environments where complaints were minimised or where they feared losing their place if they spoke out.
Abuse within families: why it remains hidden
Family‑based abuse is profoundly difficult to detect. Children depend on their family for safety, identity and belonging. When the abuser is a parent, sibling, extended family member or someone embedded in the home, secrecy becomes a powerful tool.
Many children remain silent due to fear, threats, shame or concern about breaking up the family. Abusers often groom not only the child but the wider family, appearing caring and trustworthy. Trauma symptoms, such as anxiety, withdrawal, aggression or difficulties at school, are frequently misinterpreted as behavioural problems, masking what is really happening.
When safeguarding systems do not act
Local authorities, schools, social services and healthcare providers hold legal duties to protect children from harm. However, the survivors we support often describe significant safeguarding failures. These can include dismissed warning signs, unquestioned parental explanations, communication breakdowns between professionals and inadequate risk assessments.
When agencies fail to act, children can remain at risk for years. In many cases, civil claims provide a path to justice, acknowledging the harm caused and the opportunities that were missed to protect a child.
The lifelong impact of abuse
The impact of childhood sexual abuse can be far‑reaching. Survivors may experience trauma‑related conditions such as PTSD, depression, anxiety or dissociation. Trust and relationships may be affected, education may be disrupted and physical or mental health challenges can persist well into adulthood. Recognising these long‑term effects is essential to offering survivors the compassion and support they deserve.
Legal options for survivors
Many survivors do not disclose their experiences until adulthood. Importantly, there is no time limit on reporting sexual offences to the police, and historic cases are regularly prosecuted.
Survivors may also be able to bring a civil claim for compensation against institutions responsible for their care, including schools, local authorities, social services, foster agencies and religious organisations. Courts understand the reality of delayed disclosure and may allow a claim to proceed even outside the usual limitation period.
Alongside legal routes, specialist charities, trauma therapists and advocacy groups play a vital role in helping survivors access emotional support and practical guidance.
How Enable Law’s abuse team supports survivors
Our Abuse Team works exclusively with survivors of abuse, helping them find answers, secure accountability and rebuild their lives. We provide trauma‑informed support from the first conversation, honest advice about legal options, extensive expertise in claims involving institutions and local authorities, and no win, no fee funding where appropriate. We also work closely with trusted support organisations to ensure survivors are not navigating this journey alone.
Many people tell us that speaking to someone for the first time is the most difficult step. When you are ready, we are here to listen – without judgement, and entirely at your pace.
We have a specialist team with decades of experience supporting victims of abuse and their loved ones access justice and compensation. Give us a call on 0800 044 8488 or fill in our contact form and a member of the team will you back at a convenient time for you. You deserve safety, justice and to be heard.
