Speaking Out
Survivors are now beginning to speak out about their experiences and this has led to an increase in workers’ awareness and agencies’ knowledge of how best to offer support to survivors.
You may feel that you will be judged by those you speak to. If you feel unsure about speaking to an agency, you could contact one of the specialised Ritual Abuse organisations in the links section of this website, many of whom have helplines. This may help alleviate some of the fears you have about speaking face to face with someone.
Many survivors are concerned about confidentiality but most agencies will only pass on information outwith their own service in matters concerning child protection where there would be a legal obligation to pass information to the appropriate service. If you are worried about this you can ask a service for a copy of their child protection policy.
You may be worried that people will think you are ‘mad’ and may have been told this by your abusers. But as survivors have become more confident in disclosing information to support agencies this has increased the organisations’ capacity to understand and respond.
If you are living with ritual abuse you may want to leave but are afraid. You can contact the Rape Crisis Centre or one of the other organisations listed on this site for support and to speak about ways of putting a strong support system in place so that you can get away safely. Support workers will help you look at your options and can give information about other agencies that can help with housing, benefits etc.
You may feel that you need to move to another part of the country – you can contact the Rape Crisis Scotland Helpline who will be able to give you information about Rape Crisis Centres across Scotland.
