The Maggie Oliver Foundation
Registered Charity Number: 1185267
About the charity
The Maggie Oliver Foundation provides emotional and practical support for adult survivors of child sexual abuse, while fighting for a criminal justice service that puts survivor’s needs first.
Project
Criminal Justice System Advocacy Service.
How the £10,000 grant will help
At least 1 in 5 people in the UK experience a form of child abuse. There is a depth of evidence indicating that people who have experienced sexual abuse are more likely to experience poor health, more likely to adopt risk-taking behaviours such as substance misuse, have lower educational achievement, higher unemployment and are more vulnerable to re-victimisation. Rates of self-harm can be as high as 49% among adult survivors, and the risk of suicide attempts can be as much as six times higher than the general population. So often survivors of childhood sexual abuse are left isolated and alone when trying to navigate our criminal justice system.
Our Foundation supports approximately 1,000 survivors per year. These funds will allow us to grow our legal advocacy support service, providing emotional and practical support to survivors seeking justice, and advocating for their rights in what can be an adversarial, opaque and confusing system. In the last twelve months, we have seen a 45% increase in the number of survivors seeking this sort of support. The award will fund a part-time caseworker to join our Operations Manager in delivering this vital guidance.
Quotation
“As a small charity with a big mission of creating a society where survivors of childhood sexual abuse are empowered to live fulfilled and successful lives, and where every survivor is treated with dignity and respect, this award of £10,000 will make a huge difference. We are so grateful to Ecclesiastical for helping us to grow our support to survivors who are bravely seeking justice.”
Maggie Oliver, Founder and Chair, Maggie Oliver Foundation
