Titled ‘What If You’re Right?’, and led by Child Protection Committees Scotland and Barnardo’s Scotland, the campaign has been designed with input from adult survivors of sexual abuse across Scotland, and highlights both the immediate and long term consequences of child sexual abuse.
The What If You’re Right? campaign urges the general public to really look, listen and notice signs that all is not well with a child, and take immediate action if they suspect the child might be being sexually abused.
'We all need to play our part'
Stirling Council’s Children and Young People Convener, Cllr Margaret Brisley has urged concerned adults not to ignore signs that something is seriously wrong for a child.
Cllr Brisley said: “We listened to many adult survivors of child sexual abuse as we developed this campaign. They were all clear that sexual abuse is not only horrendous at the time it is happening, but it can also cause lifelong physical and emotional damage. Trauma experienced as a result of child sexual abuse can ruin lives.
“It’s everyone’s job to keep children safe from harm, and we all need to play our part to help limit the long-term damage child sexual abuse can cause. Don’t wait for someone else to take action, report concerns yourself. Yes, it can be scary to speak up, but we need to be brave and not ignore signs that there’s a potential problem.
“Anyone who is worried that a child might be being sexually abused can visit the Child Protection Scotland website for information about how to take action, or contact Stirling Council’s child protection team. If you fear that a child is in immediate danger, you should call Police Scotland right away.”
Vicci, a child sexual abuse survivor who contributed to the campaign, endured sexual abuse by members of her extended family for many years, from a very young age.
“I was abused until I was about 10. I don’t remember a time where I wasn’t abused, where I wasn’t touched, where I wasn’t made to do things. That got progressively worse, I was probably younger than 8 when they started raping me.”
Vicci is clear that the experience of being sexually abused as a child has had long lasting ramifications.
“It’s impacted my life in ways I could never have imagined. I’ve been in very dark places, I’ve been suicidal, I’ve been hospitalised. I struggle with a fear of never knowing who’s round the next corner and trust is a huge issue too - when those people, the abusers, have told you that they love you but then hurt you terribly, how do you then trust other people?”
'Know how to spot the signs'
Both Child Protection Committees Scotland and campaign partner Barnardo’s Scotland understand that people can be hesitant about acting on a gut feeling, but Martin Crewe, Director of Barnardo’s Scotland is clear that taking action is essential to help prevent lifelong damage.
“It’s important that adults know how to spot the signs of child abuse and exploitation, and how to do something about it.
“If you are worried about a child or young person, you can visit the Child Protection Scotland campaign website for more resources on what to do – including the Barnardo’s-hosted centre of expertise on child sexual abuse which has developed resources to support adults working with children.”
The What If You’re Right? campaign is a digital campaign which features a series of animations using survivor voiceovers. The animations will run on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube and on the Child Protection Scotland website.
People who want to find further information about how to recognise signs of child sexual abuse can visit the Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse website (hosted by Barnardo’s) https://www.csacentre.org.uk/research-resources/practice-resources/signs-and-indicators/