Mike Peirce Southmead Project Summarises CSA Meeting in Bristol

Mike Peirce of The Southmead Project Bristol writes…

On Friday 5 December 2014 I attended a meeting in Bristol to discuss matters relating to child sexual abuse. At the same time another meeting was being held in London – again with a remit about the abuse of children.  I was invited to the meeting in Bristol either because I am a survivor of child abuse or, as CEO of a charity; The Southmead Project, that specialises in the provision of therapeutic and practical support to those people over sixteen years of age who have experienced abuse themselves. Like me, many of the people who access the charity for support have self-harmed as a consequence of the trauma that follows all forms of child abuse: drug or alcohol misuse and/or other ways of self-injury in order to try to keep a lid on the emotions. A forlorn hope as the childhood traumatic experience develops into complex post – traumatic stress disorder (cPTSD) leading to a multitude of additional problems. Perhaps this goes some way in explaining the perennial waiting list at the charity – currently over twelve weeks and no doubt the same at other similar charities.

My reason for writing this blog however is not to extol the merits, virtues or successes of the Southmead Project, but to make an appeal; an appeal that puts survivors of child abuse at the forefront. I want to appeal for their voices to be heard and appeal that their suffering and their pain is truly acknowledged and also appeal for help.

Prior to, and during, the course of getting these meeting to take place and to actually get people around the table, there has, unsurprisingly, been much debate and of course much anger, frustration and suspicion. I do not profess to know the full background to these meetings, governance procedures or remit, identified aims and objectives, timescales, makeup of the inquiry teams, due diligence; so there are many things I do not know. But I do know this, it is about time the lid was lifted on a can of worms that has lain comfortably dormant in the dark corridors of schools, governments, police and judicial institutions and other, supposedly, safe environments in which abuse of children has survived, and distressingly, still thrives. 

Whatever way we might look at things, we are many years late in bringing about these meetings and suggest during those years of silence, denial and disbelief, there is every possibility that vital evidence has been destroyed or lost. It is certainly my hope that during the course of all investigations that evidence does emerge, and that those who may have jeopardised any chances of the full facts being published, are held to account. It is my sincere hope too that the make-up of any teams/panels/committees is able to be held up for full scrutiny. This is essential if trust in the process and in members of those teams is to come about.  I will not labour on the reasons why trust is essential except to say that where, as children, innocence has been lost and destroyed by abuse, leaving the innocent victims of such appalling crimes to deal with the aftermath, trust is the most vital of ingredients needed in any recipe for recovery.

But trust alone will not bring about recovery. It is imperative that appropriate facilities for survivors of child abuse per se be made immediately available and that funding for such facilities be also made immediately available. The stories in the red tops, on television and indeed in all media forms has almost guaranteed those survivors who have hidden their pain and suffering from view,  will now be very much affected by all that is going on. This appeal is for survivors everywhere to unite to become stronger and as one. To use the energy, determination and sheer guts it took us to survive and to help one another and in so doing help those survivors who could really do with some support at this difficult time. Please help me to help agencies like the Southmead Project to get the necessary financial aid. Please, let’s do the job together.

I am glad I attended the meeting and it was definitely worthwhile if only to have become more familiar with the juggernaut which is the system, in the knowledge that it will ultimately make decisions. I wanted also to get a grasp on what survivors are likely to be faced with when and if they attend any other meetings. I hope in fact that the Secretariat, Home Office and Inquiry are swamped with people wanting to attend and crucially, that non-institutional child abuse per se does not get side-tracked.

Guest post written by Dr Mike Peirce MBE
CEO of the Southmead Project Bristol
southmead_project@yahoo.co.uk
www.southmead.org.uk

10.12.14

Posted with Mr Pierce’s permission by Team Inspire