William Tantam (University of Bristol), Susanna Alyce (University of Essex)
In partnership with SARSAS, the Survivors Trust, and Survivors Voices, we will conduct research to understand the experiences of survivors of non-recent, online-facilitated child sexual abuse (OFCSA). An important quantitative body of research is emerging on the prevalence of OFCSA; however, in this project we will explore the qualitative experiences of those who have experienced non-recent sexual abuse. This will allow an understanding of the intricate lived experiences, and the longer term implications for survivors.
Research demonstrates that child sexual abuse causes long term physical and mental health impacts on victims and survivors, and considerably impacts relationships, experiences of education, and employment experiences (IICSA 2022). The percentage of households with internet access in the UK grew extremely quickly from 9 percent in 1998-1999 to 19 percent in 1999-2000, and by 2004-5 it was 53 per cent (statista.com). This time period of rapidly expanding access to the internet, combined with the growth of networking and social media sites, meant that many children and young people were accessing the internet without the types of support and knowledge that might be currently available. This research is timely as current research estimates that it takes between 17.2 and 21.4 years from the experience of sexual abuse for a victim and survivor to tell someone (Halvorsen et al. 2020:2). This cohort of adult survivors of OFCSA constitutes the first generation in the UK which grew up with the internet as a core component of many of their lives, and many of whom will likely be recently disclosing for the first time.
Through semi-structured interviewing and workshop activities, our project enhances contemporary understandings of OFCSA through survivor-led research into the long-term challenges for survivors as they access forms of coping and recovery. We will investigate the following questions:
- What are the characteristics of online-facilitated child sexual abuse in comparison with offline experiences of child sexual abuse?
- What are the challenges in relation to reporting and disclosures of online facilitated child sexual abuse?
- What challenges do victims and survivors experience in relation to coping and recovery?
- How might government agencies, support services, survivor organisations, and wider society work best prevent and respond to reports of online-facilitated child sexual abuse?”