Shake My Hand's beneficiaries are Survivors of rape and/or sexual abuse who have not reported their experiences. This represents a huge number of people with 5 in 6 women who are raped and 4 in 5 men not reporting their trauma.
The Campaign help these Survivors in a number of ways:
1. Our 'Supporting' Services reassure Survivors that they are not alone, that there are people out there who not only truly understand and hold an enormous amount of empathy for their experience, but who can also provide hope and encouragement in reporting their rape or abuse.
2. Our 'Creating' Services can help Survivors by providing original online content that is typically written by a fellow Survivor who can use the content to pass on tips, advice, and stories of hope to a wider audience. These Services will also endorse and advertise other, relevant organisations who might provide Survivors with other services and support that the Campaign is yet to facilitate.
3. Our 'Speaking Up' Services help Survivors by improving the knowledge and understanding of professionals such as mental health staff and A&E Doctors and Nurses, who might regularly work with Survivors and fail to provide adequate and efficient help and support due to a lack of education.
The help that Shake My Hand provides is incredibly important because 63% of Survivors of rape and/or sexual abuse report having an emotional or mental health difficulty after their experiences, 21% have needed to take time off work, and a saddening 10% have made a suicide attempt after their trauma. The fact that the Campaign's website (in less than three months) has had over 3,000 views, and our social media following exceeds 200 followers, is - we hope - evidence that we're reaching a portion of those represented in these statistics.
Shake My Hand sections its Services into three categories: Supporting, Creating, and Speaking Up. Each of these help us to meet our objective of helping and supporting Survivors of rape and/or sexual abuse to report their experiences in very different ways. Examples of our Services can be found below:
Supporting Services: 1:1 Peer Support whereby Survivors are referred by professionals to the Campaign and - if deemed appropriate - are then assigned a Survivor Volunteer who will provide one-of-a-kind help and support that is unparallel to that which professionals might provide. This Service also includes our production of online content which includes tips and advice for Survivors, as well as collaboratory content whereby the Campaign team up other organisations or well-known, relevant persons to produce online content that is aligned with our objectives.
Creating Services: Endorsement and advertorial work of other, relevant organisations who share our priorities, goals, mission, and objectives; as well as collaborations and original online content.
Speaking Up Services: The signing and publicity of relevant petitions and national work of other organisations, as well as building connections with other organisations through events and providing training and awareness sessions which vary from Suicide Prevention Training to Self-Harm Awareness Sessions.
Will you 'Shake My Hand' to help and support Survivors of rape and sexual abuse and join the Campaign Team as our Campaign Secretary?
