OUR BENEFICIARIES
At We Are Survivors, everything we do begins with the people we support, known as our beneficiaries.
PRIMARY BENEFICIARIES
This appendix to our Ambi�on 2030 sets out how we will con�nue to place our primary beneficiaries, i.e. male vic�ms/survivors of sexual harms, at the heart of our organisa�on - shaping our services, influencing our decisions, and guiding our future.
This is our commitment to ensuring that male survivors’ voices, experiences, and aspira�ons remain central as we grow, adapt, and respond to a changing landscape.
Male vic�ms/survivors con�nue to face significant barriers to recogni�on, support, and jus�ce.
Many survivors struggle with social s�gma, misconcep�ons about masculinity, or limited access to specialist services.
In this context, our role is not only to provide high-quality, trauma-informed support, but also to create a space where survivors feel heard, valued, and empowered to influence the systems intended to serve them.
Here we outline how we will deepen engagement with survivors, strengthen feedback mechanisms, and ensure their lived experience informs our design, delivery, and leadership.
It demonstrates our commitment to working alongside survivors as equal partners, cocrea�ng solu�ons, iden�fying unmet needs, and championing their rights at every level.
SECONDARY BENEFICIARIES
We must not forget that this is also about those that are an essen�al part of a male vic�ms/survivors life. This is about those husbands and wives; mothers and fathers, aunts, uncles and cousins; boyfriends, girlfriends and fiancées; best friends, colleagues and neighbours; who love and care for male survivors and want the best for them. We see them all as our secondary beneficiaries.
TERTIARY BENEFICIARIES
This is also about those professionals that want to know more; that want to increase their knowledge of working with and mee�ng the needs of male vic�ms/survivors; in order to be the best for their client or survivors in general.
We also want to include the general public too; this is about them and how we increase their knowledge of and general awareness surrounding issues connected to male vic�ms/survivors of sexual harms.
ALL FOR ONE
Whilst ul�mately, this is and will always be about ensuring that male vic�ms/survivors are not only supported, but meaningfully involved in shaping the present and the future of We Are Survivors; that cannot happen if we don’t involve the communi�es’ male vic�ms/survivors live, work and play in.
So, this is about ensuing that there is no conversa�on about us without us, whoever is speaking and whoever is the focus of the discussion.
Whilst it is the responsibility of all to be the best for our beneficiaries, it is also impossible for everyone to know everything all at once.
So, in order for We Are Survivors to obtain, collect and share the greatest and widest possible plater of knowledge; staff members will take on the responsibility of being the Thema�c Lead for a par�cular subject, issue, or demographic that impacts all of our beneficiaries.
Thema�c Leads are responsible for maintaining awareness of relevant UK research and policy; strengthening internal prac�ce guidance and reflec�ve learning; building trusted external partnerships; and ensuring lived experience informs our influencing, policy response, service design and delivery for all our beneficiaries.
Thema�c Leads also support consistency of prac�ce across community, custodial and remote provision for male vic�ms/survivors and their loved ones.
They also work closely with staff tasked with delivering our communica�ons and public engagement effort, which they do to ensure what we know, what we convey, and what we teach others is accurate, factual, and the most up to date intelligence.
All thema�c areas will be reviewed through service data and outcome monitoring, vic�m/survivor feedback and livedexperience insight, evolving UK research and policy, and reflec�ve prac�ce and supervision.
This ensures that the ambi�on of ensuring no male survivor is le� behind is realised through lived organisa�onal prac�ce.
The ambi�on is reviewed every 6 months by the Execu�ve team, led by the Deputy Chief
Execu�ve Officer, who will review and reflect on feedback and implement changes as appropriate to ambi�on areas.
MALE VICTIMS/SURVIVORS
We Are Survivors recognise that survivorship is shaped by iden�ty, life stage, geography, and system contact.
Where a man lives, whether specialist support exists locally, and whether he has experienced involvement with the criminal jus�ce system as a vic�m, witness, defendant or convicted individual all influence if, when and how he feels able to seek support
UK research consistently demonstrates that men from racialised communi�es; those with extra needs due to disability, iden�ty, or their immediate situa�on; or men from different life stages are more likely to remain in silence for extended periods, disengage from services, or never access specialist support.
We recognise that inclusive, survivorcentred/trauma-informed response requires inten�onal leadership and specialist focus.
We will respond to the dis�nct needs of male vic�ms/survivors from specialist communi�es who face addi�onal structural, cultural, or systemic barriers to disclosure, engagement and recovery.
OLDER MEN
Context and Evidence
UK research indicates that older men are among the least likely demographic to disclose sexual harm.
The Crime Survey for England and Wales reports significantly lower rates of sexual vic�misa�on among men over 55, which researchers widely recognise as underdisclosure rather than absence of harm.
Studies suggest male survivors may take around 20 years to disclose, par�cularly where abuse occurred in childhood or early adulthood.
Many older male survivors have grown up in social contexts where male vic�mhood is not recognised, and sexual harm against boys is rarely named.
Later-life experiences such as re�rement, bereavement, declining physical health or increased isola�on can resurface trauma or reduce coping capacity.
For many, harm was never reported, and there has been no engagement with the criminal jus�ce system despite lifelong impact.
Engagement Barriers
Older men may believe it is too late to seek support.
This compounds various factors faced by older survivors, such as shame linked to historic gender norms, digital exclusion and mobility barriers, and a reluctance to engage with clinical or therapeu�c language.
Our Engagement Approach
We Are Survivors will offer flexible and paced engagement without �me-limited expecta�ons.
Plain-language communica�on and nonclinical entry points will be priori�sed, alongside collabora�on with health, social care and community se�ngs frequented by older men.
Access will be available across Greater Manchester, with the aim of providing routes for men outside the region, with later-life
disclosure ac�vely normalised through engagement ac�vity.
Thema�c Lead Focus
The Older Men Thema�c Lead ensures services remain age-inclusive, accessible, and responsive, embedding later-life trauma research and lived-experience insights across all delivery se�ngs.
MEN OF COLOUR
Context and Evidence
UK evidence demonstrates persistent racial dispari�es in access to sexual violence services.
Black and minori�sed men are underrepresented in survivor services despite comparable prevalence of trauma exposure. Research highlights how racism, cultural s�gma, fear of criminalisa�on and mistrust of statutory systems compound to silence disclosure.
Male survivors from racialised communi�es may experience overlapping stereotypes of hyper sexualisa�on and criminality, increasing fear of being disbelieved or misiden�fied as perpetrators.
These fears are o�en intensified where men have prior experience of policing, immigra�on enforcement or criminal jus�ce involvement. Geography also shapes access, as racialised communi�es are more likely to live in areas where specialist provision is overstretched or perceived as culturally unsafe.
Engagement Barriers
Barriers include cultural shame narra�ves, fear of authori�es or data misuse, limited representa�on within services, and language or faith-based considera�ons.
Our Engagement Approach
We Are Survivors will invest in sustained partnership, working with community and faith-based organisa�ons, priori�sing trust and rela�onship-building, embedding culturally responsive and an�-racist prac�ce, and ensuring that access is available both locally and remotely for men outside Greater Manchester.
Thema�c
Lead Focus
The Racialised Communi�es Thema�c Lead supports organisa�onal learning, partnership development and survivor-led insight, ensuring services remain responsive to place and system context.
GAY, BI & TRANS MEN
Context and Evidence
Evidence shows that LGBTQ+ people experience dispropor�onately high levels of sexual violence, with gay, bi, MSM and trans men facing elevated risk across the life course. Sexual violence may occur through hate-mo�vated abuse, within same-sex rela�onships, or in contexts where sexual orienta�on or gender iden�ty is exploited. Trans men experience par�cularly high rates of sexual assault linked to transphobia and discrimina�on.
Despite this prevalence, LGBTQ+ male survivors are less likely to access support due to fear of discrimina�on, previous nega�ve experiences with statutory systems and lack of visibly inclusive services.
Geography plays a role, with specialist LGBTQ+ provision o�en concentrated in urban areas, limi�ng access for men living elsewhere.
Experiences of sexual violence may intersect with minority stress, internalised s�gma and
iden�ty-related trauma, compounding the impact of abuse and further delaying disclosure.
Engagement Barriers
Barriers include fear of homophobia or transphobia within services, concern about being outed, internalised shame, lack of inclusive messaging, and limited specialist provision outside major ci�es.
Our Engagement Approach
We Are Survivors will embed LGBTQ+ affirma�ve prac�ce across all services, ensure inclusive language and environments, work in partnership with specialist LGBTQ+ organisa�ons, and provide flexible access through local, custodial and remote support op�ons.
Thema�c Lead Focus
The LGBTQ+ Thema�c Lead will support inclusive prac�ce, staff development, and community partnerships, ensuring services are safe, affirming, and responsive to sexual and gender diversity.
YOUNG MEN
Context and Evidence
UK data shows that one in four vic�ms of child sexual abuse are boys.
Research indicates that boys are less likely to recognise experiences as abuse, par�cularly where harm involved peers, coercion or harmful sexual behaviours.
Adolescent boys may experience confusion around consent, masculinity and responsibility, with disclosure o�en delayed by fear of blame, punishment or involvement of statutory systems.
Young survivors frequently sit at the intersec�on of safeguarding, educa�on,
youth jus�ce and family systems, with access shaped by transport, digital exclusion and availability of local youth provision.
Engagement Barriers
Young people may lack the language to describe harm, fear the consequences of disbelief, feel overwhelmed by safeguarding processes, or distrust statutory services and adults in general.
Our Engagement Approach
We Are Survivors will provide developmentally appropriate, traumainformed support and work in partnership with youth and community organisa�ons. Rela�onal safety, clarity, and choice will be priori�sed; safeguarding processes will be propor�onate and transparent; and digital access will be available to young people outside commissioned areas.
Thema�c Lead Focus
The Boys and Young Men Thema�c Lead ensures services remain appropriate for young male survivors to access.
They will ensure rela�onships with specialist young people services are maintained. They will keep up to date with new and emerging insights, as well as hear the voice of the lived experience of younger survivors.
MEN WITH DISABILITIES
Context and Evidence
Disabled men are at significantly increased risk of sexual abuse, par�cularly those with learning disabili�es or mental health needs.
Research highlights widespread failures in disabled peoples’ recogni�on, credibility and access, with disabled male survivors o�en excluded from survivor narra�ves altogether.
Dependence on carers, ins�tu�onal se�ngs, or statutory systems can complicate disclosure, par�cularly when safeguarding or criminal jus�ce processes are involved.
Geographic varia�on in accessible provision further increases reliance on digital or outreach-based engagement.
Engagement Barriers
Barriers include communica�on and accessibility challenges, assump�ons about capacity or credibility, dependency on systems, and fear of losing support or autonomy.
Our Engagement Approach
We Are Survivors will embed reasonable adjustments as standard prac�ce, adapt communica�on methods and environments, work alongside specialist advocacy organisa�ons, further priori�sing autonomy, consent and dignity. Access will be ensured across community, custodial, and remote se�ngs.
Thema�c Lead Focus
The Disabili�es Thema�c Lead supports accessibility audits, staff development and partnership working to ensure equity of access and survivor dignity.
REFUGEE/ASYLUM SEEKING MEN
Context and Evidence
UK evidence indicates that male asylum seekers and refugees experience sexual violence at mul�ple points, including during conflict, deten�on, transit routes and a�er arrival in the UK, yet they remain significantly under-iden�fied within sexual violence services.
Research highlights that men and boys are frequently overlooked as vic�ms, with
dominant narra�ves posi�oning them as threats or economic migrants rather than as individuals who may have experienced severe harm.
Sexual violence against male refugees is widely under-reported, shaped by trauma, fear of authority and uncertainty about immigra�on outcomes. Many men are reluctant to disclose abuse due to concern that sharing experiences may nega�vely affect asylum claims or lead to further scru�ny by statutory systems. Experiences of torture, sexual exploita�on and coercion o�en intersect with displacement, poverty and insecure housing, compounding mental health impacts.
Geography further influences access.
Men housed in asylum accommoda�on may be isolated from specialist provision, while others avoid local services due to fear of recogni�on, language barriers or mistrust of public services shaped by previous experiences of state violence. As a result, sexual harm may remain unaddressed for prolonged periods.
Engagement Barriers
Barriers include language and communica�on difficul�es, lack of culturally appropriate services, fear that disclosure could affect immigra�on status, mistrust of statutory authori�es, s�gma linked to masculinity, and limited awareness of malespecific sexual violence support.
Our Engagement Approach
We Are Survivors will work in sustained partnership with refugee and migrant organisa�ons, ensuring culturally and linguis�cally appropriate engagement.
We will priori�se clarity on confiden�ality and the separa�on between support and
immigra�on decision-making, and provide access through community-based, custodial, and remote routes for men in Greater Manchester and beyond.
Thema�c Lead Focus
The Asylum Seeker and Refugee Thema�c Lead will strengthen trauma-informed prac�ce, partnership working, and policy awareness, ensuring male refugee survivors are visible, believed and supported without exclusion by system processes.
SEX WORKERS / ADULT ENTERTAINERS
Context and Evidence
UK studies show that male sex workers experience high levels of sexual violence, coercion, and exploita�on, yet face serious barriers to accessing support due to s�gma and criminalisa�on.
Survivors are frequently excluded from vic�m frameworks where consent, survival strategies, and exploita�on intersect.
Fear of police involvement, immigra�on enforcement, or moral judgement o�en prevents disclosure, par�cularly where men have current or previous criminal jus�ce involvement.
Sex workers may also be geographically transient or work online, limi�ng access to local provision.
Engagement Barriers
Barriers include fear of criminalisa�on or enforcement, s�gma, distrust of services, and concerns about confiden�ality and safety.
Barriers also include the fact that ‘sex workers’ are not one homogenous group of people and are working in very different se�ngs.
For those that iden�fy as heterosexual but engage in physical contact work with clients of the same sex; create content with or for people of their own sex; the ques�ons around sexuality and sexual iden�ty can create significant barriers for engagement.
Our Engagement Approach
We Are Survivors will adopt a nonjudgmental, harm-reduc�on approach, ensuring confiden�ality and safety are explicit.
We will work in partnership with specialist organisa�ons and provide digital access for men outside core geographies.
Thema�c Lead Focus
The Sex Workers Thema�c Lead ensures policy-aware, rights-based prac�ce and strong external partnerships, grounded in survivor voice.
SURVIVOR-PCOSOs
Context and Evidence
Research has recognised an overlap between experiences of sexual vic�misa�on and later sexual offending.
It is and has always been vital to ensure that it is clear the documented evidence that the majority of vic�ms/survivors do not sexually offend, however a significant propor�on of men convicted of sexual offences have histories of childhood sexual abuse.
Despite this, survivor support services and offender rehabilita�on pathways have tradi�onally operated separately, leaving trauma unaddressed within criminal jus�ce contexts.
Emerging trauma-informed prac�ce recognises that acknowledging and addressing survivor experiences alongside
accountability can contribute to rehabilita�on, desistance, and long-term public safety. However, men in this group are o�en excluded from specialist vic�m/survivor services due to safety considera�ons, while offender-focused programmes o�en do not hold space for the individual to explore their own experiences of vic�misa�on.
Geography and system involvement shape access. Support is frequently limited to custodial or proba�on se�ngs, with litle con�nuity once men move between prison, proba�on and community contexts. This creates gaps in care at key transi�on points.
Engagement Barriers
Barriers include extreme s�gma, fear of being judged or dismissed, exclusion from survivor spaces, limited access to traumafocused therapy within criminal jus�ce se�ngs, and concerns around confiden�ality, safeguarding and risk management.
Our Engagement Approach
We Are Survivors will provide clearly defined, one-to-one support pathways delivered by trained prac��oners.
The pathways will be separate to ensure that survivor-PCOSOs and survivors who are not survivor-PCOSOs are not having to manage the extra complexity of their experiences, the impact of their behaviour, and both survivors and survivor-PCOSOs can feel secure in their respec�ve spaces.
These pathways will align with safeguarding and criminal jus�ce processes, focusing on survivor healing without minimising responsibility for harm, while suppor�ng recovery in a way that priori�ses the safety of others.
Thema�c Lead Focus
The Survivor-Offender Thema�c Lead will ensure ethical, trauma-informed prac�ce, strong partnership with criminal jus�ce agencies, robust safeguarding arrangements, and learning that bridges survivor support and rehabilita�on contexts.
THEIR LOVED ONES
In one way or another, sexual harm affects us all.
The a�er-effects or legacy of abuse extend far beyond the individual survivor, touching partners, family members, close friends, and those who care for him.
At We Are Survivors, our charitable objects make clear that our purpose includes suppor�ng everyone affected by sexual harm.
This means recognising that loved ones o�en carry their own emo�onal burdensques�ons, fears, frustra�ons, and hopesand deserve a space where their experiences are acknowledged and supported.
Our strategy for engaging the loved ones of male vic�ms/survivors is rooted in the belief that healing and recovery should be for all and that no one should be le� to manage alone.
By openly recognising the unique challenges that loved ones face, we aim to create a parallel pathway of support that complements the survivor’s journey without overshadowing it.
Central to this approach is the principle that the voices of loved ones mater too.
We will establish dedicated opportuni�es through group sessions, psycho-educa�on resources, and guided conversa�ons, to ensure they feel heard, understood, and empowered.
These spaces will help them build confidence in suppor�ng the survivor while also atending to their own wellbeing, boundaries, and resilience.
We will also ensure that loved ones understand the nature of trauma, common responses to sexual harm, and the importance of survivor-led recovery.
By improving trauma literacy across families and support networks, we strengthen the environment around each survivor, contribu�ng to safer rela�onships, reduced isola�on, and improved long-term outcomes.
Ul�mately, our strategy aims not simply to involve loved ones, but to meaningfully include them:
• recognising their role
• suppor�ng their needs, and
• valuing the essen�al contribu�on they make to the broader male survivor healing community.
In doing so, we reaffirm our commitment that recovery is a shared journey and no one should walk it alone.
We recognise the need for We Are Survivors to not only be agile in responding to the needs of our secondary beneficiaries as ‘group’ types, but also subgroups, i.e. mums, wives, siblings, etc, that recognises the vast differences in power dynamics and connec�vity to the male survivor.
It is also vital that we bear witness to this popula�on’s vicarious trauma; and the poten�al that they themselves may be survivors and will require support in their own right for their own survivorship.
We commit to ensuring that we work with other organisa�ons and agencies within the wider community to provide the best possible care for those providing the ul�mate care for male vic�ms/survivors
THE PROFESSIONALS
Professionals who support male vic�ms/survivors, whether in health, social care, criminal jus�ce, educa�on, or community se�ngs all play a crucial role in shaping his experience of disclosure, safety, and recovery.
We Are Survivors recognises that these professionals o�en work within complex, high-pressure environments where confidence, trauma literacy, and appropriate resourcing can significantly influence outcomes.
Our strategy therefore focuses on strengthening the ecosystem around male vic�ms/survivors by equipping, empowering, and connec�ng the professionals who walk alongside them.
A key goal of this strategy is improving professional understanding of the male vic�m/survivor-specific experiences of sexual harm.
We will provide accessible training, evidence-informed guidance, and reflec�ve spaces that deepen awareness of trauma responses, masculinity-related barriers, and the wider social context that shapes disclosure.
Through this, we aim to build professional confidence and ensure that every male survivor is met with belief, compassion, and knowledgeable support at the moment he needs it most.
We will also priori�se the wellbeing of professional supporters themselves.
Regular exposure to trauma narra�ves can lead to emo�onal fa�gue, vicarious trauma, or uncertainty about best prac�ce.
To address this, We Are Survivors will offer structured clinical consultancy, group learning sessions, and opportuni�es for inter-agency reflec�on, helping professionals maintain resilience and uphold safe, ethical prac�ce.
Collabora�on is central to our approach. By strengthening partnerships across public services, chari�es, and community organisa�ons, we will influence systemic change, improve referral pathways, and ensure that male survivors receive joined-up care rather than fragmented support.
We will also champion the voices of professionals in shaping our resources and strategic direc�on, acknowledging their exper�se and lived frontline experience.
Ul�mately, our strategy aims to develop a confident, informed, and connected professional community, one that is fully equipped to support male survivors with dignity, clarity, and compassion.