In episode 143 of The Just Checking In Podcast, we checked in with Duncan Craig OBE.
Duncan is is the Founder and CEO of Survivors Manchester. Survivors Manchester is a survivor focused voluntary sector organisation that aims to create and facilitate safe spaces for male survivors of sexual abuse, rape and sexual exploitation across Greater Manchester providing access to quality assured support.
Their work is focused on developing ways for individuals to empower themselves to work through personal and sometimes painful issues, guided and supported by their trauma-informed team, following the trauma and recovery model.
In this episode we discuss how the charity started, Duncan’s role in it, the different projects they work on and why he was inspired to found the charity through his own story of surviving sexual abuse.
Duncan is a gay man and was sexually abused as a child and later sexually exploited as an older teenager and young adult by a male perpetrator.
It took him a long time to realise that what he went through was actually sexual abuse and we discuss the impact that it did or didn’t have on his sexuality and how that can be a common issue among victim-survivors.
We discuss why the concept of shame in disclosure of sexual abuse is so prominent, social class and how representation of these stories in popular culture is so important in breaking the stigma of sexual abuse in men down further.
Showing the public what men like him have gone through is crucial in how we safeguard the next generation and protect the mental health of boys and men.
As always, #itsokaytovent
Find out more about Survivors Manchester here.
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TRIGGER WARNING: This podcast contains a deep and detailed discussion about sexual abuse and suicide, which some listeners may find extremely upsetting or distressing, so please listen with caution.
