THE NEED
Sexual violence is any unwanted sexual act or activity. There are many different kinds, including: rape, sexual abuse, childhood sexual abuse, sexual assault, sexual harassment, forced marriage, honour-based violence, female genital mutilation (FGM), trafficking, sexual exploitation (including child sexual exploitation), among many others.
Conforto is a retreat specifically for vulnerable girls and women who have experienced sexual violence. The hallmark of this retreat is comfort and safety. Sexual violence of any kind is traumatic and can affect the whole of someone’s life; therefore, the need is so great. We want to offer a safe and soothing place to females following this trauma to enable them to be restored and leave at the end of 12 months as a survivor of sexual violence.
In the UK there are many refuges and safe houses for victims of Domestic Violence, however there are few retreats for those who have specifically experienced sexual violence. We understand that many females will not want or be able to accept a residential placement, and for those people we aim to provide alternative support, but for those that can commit fully to the programme, we believe that Conforto House is where they can be restored and empowered.
STATISTICS
The CSEW estimated that 20% of women and 4% of men have experienced some type of sexual assault since the age of 16, equivalent to an estimated 3.4 million female victims and 631,000 male victims. (Source – Office for National Statistics)
1 in 20 children in the UK have been sexually abused (Source – NSPCC)
Over 2,800 children were identified as needing protection from sexual abuse in 2016/17 (Source – NSPCC)
9% of adults aged 16 to 59 have experienced psychological abuse, 7% physical abuse, 7% sexual assault and 8% witnessed domestic violence or abuse in the home.
With the exception of physical abuse, women were significantly more likely to report that they had suffered any form of abuse asked about during childhood than men. This was most marked with regard to any form of sexual assault, where women were 4 times as likely as men to be a survivor of such abuse during childhood (11% compared with 3%).
Women (3%) were significantly more likely than men (1%) to experience sexual assault by rape or penetration (including attempts) during childhood. This equates to an estimated 567,000 adult women aged 16 to 59 having experienced this type of abuse during their childhood, compared with an estimated 102,000 adult men aged 16 to 59. (Source – Office for National Statistics).