Irretrievable Devastation

When are we going to prioritise ending sexual violence?

Like hundreds of thousands of other people, I have been following the sentencing of the serial rapist, ex-police officer David Carrick. I have to admit to a certain satisfaction at the 36 life sentences he was given, not to mention the 30 year plus tariff before he can be considered for parole, which almost certainly means he will die in prison. However, any satisfaction I might feel is tempered by a number of other considerations.

The first, is simply that for every high-profile case that attracts this sort of attention, there are literally thousands of others that we never get to hear about. Not to mention the tens of thousands of others that are never brought to trial, and which do not result in a conviction.

The second, is knowing just how severe the long term impact on survivors of sexual violence — whether recent or historic, often is. The overwhelming majority of survivors are likely to develop serious and life affecting mental health conditions at some point following the violence they experienced. They are twice as likely to suffer from a serious, long-term physical health condition as the rest of the population. Relationship difficulties are more common, and job prospects for survivors are significantly impaired. Yes, it is good to see a predator put behind bars for a long time, but given the decades-long suffering of survivors, let’s not fool ourselves that this represents any real kind of justice.

The third, is the portrayal of David Carrick and others like him as ‘sexual predators’ and nothing more. Such a characterisation is superficial, and misses the point that sexual violence is as much about the abuse of power as it is about any twisted sexual desire. Predators use sexual violence to exercise power over those they perceive as weaker than them. At the same time, they are often enabled in their actions by the culture of power over others in which they operate.

The sad truth is that despite the growing awareness over the last 40 years about the prevalence and impact of sexual violence; the rates of offending, and therefore the numbers of survivors keeps rising. Those in authority still seem all too inclined to turn a blind eye, both to predators and their victims. At the same time, the provision of appropriate, specialist, trauma-informed mental-health support for survivors under the NHS ranges from inadequate at best, to non-existent at worst.

The judge in the David Carrick case, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb, referred to the “irretrievable devastation” his violence had caused to those he victimised. It is good to hear their suffering acknowledged. However, we need to be wary not to allow survivors to be stigmatised as ‘damaged goods’ or ‘hopeless cases’. Even though the suffering is huge and can last for years or even decades, it is important to affirm that recovery is possible as long as the right support is available.

In the same way that we need to empower survivors to begin to hope in their own recovery, we need to empower society to get to grips with dealing appropriately with sexual violence and its long-term fallout. It will take a significant investment of energy and money, and it will require a radical transformation in our attitudes to both perpetrators and survivors. Above all else it will require some deep collective soul-searching about the nature of power and our attitudes to power. Nevertheless, significant, permanent change is both necessary and possible if only we can find the collective will. It is long past time we made the eradication all kinds of abuse and violence a national and societal priority.

For survivors and others impacted by this case …

Here are just a few things to take away, and to try to remember when things feel overwhelming.

• You are not invisible — you, and the pain you carry are seen.
• You are wounded — but you are not damaged goods.
• Even though you feel devastated, recovery is possible.
• You are not weak (even though you may feel it sometimes) — just by making it through, one day at a time, you are a survivor and a warrior.
• You are not alone — though you may never get to meet them there are millions standing with you.
• One day, survivors like you and me will bring an end to sexual violence and the suffering it causes.

Breakthrough is a UK Charity providing specialist therapy and other support for survivors of abuse and trauma. You can find out more about our work at traumabreakthrough.org, or you can follow us at facebook.com/traumabreakthrough or twitter.com/_breakthroughUK