Save the National Male Survivor Helpline

To save money, the Ministry of Justice UK (MoJ) are ceasing funding for the National Male Survivor Helpline that Safeline currently operates. It is the only helpline dedicated to supporting men and boys impacted by sexual abuse in England and Wales.

The MoJ believe male survivors have alternative provision with an all gender 24/7 Helpline that exists. However, the male survivor who spoke out as part of the Channel 4 interview doesn’t believe it is a suitable alternative.

In his words, “having a dedicated helpline for male survivors was one less barrier for me to share, from the first call, I felt heard, understood, validated”.

95% of the 2,000 male survivors that were supported by the helpline last year, feel the same.

Male survivors tell us they want and need support services based around their specific needs. Liz Harrison, Head of Helpline and Online Services, spoke to Channel 4 News about how male survivors are much more likely to talk about the abuse they experienced. "They’ll talk about it quite matter of fact which is a coping strategy as if it was happening to someone else, but it means that they can be quite graphic.” They have called other helplines and been told that they’re inappropriate and been banned.

These needs have been ignored for years. Is it any surprise that fewer male victims disclose their abuse, seek support, report the abuse to the police? The male helpline has transformed support for male survivors in England and Wales over the last 9-years. Yet when the Government need to make savings, support services for males are the first to be cut. What must it feel like to walk in male victims’ shoes? The consequence of this decision is frightening. 89% of male survivors that use our service present with suicide ideation, 10% of these were actively trying to end their lives. How can this decision be justified in a civilised society.

Every survivor of sexual abuse deserves support, including males. Thank you to the male survivor for having the courage to tell people what it’s like to be a male survivor and how hard it is to get support that genuinely helps him. Thank you Channel 4 for sharing his story. Let’s hope it leads to change.

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