Breaking The Silence Initiative

Quetzal Breaking the Silence Initiative aims to raise awareness about the trauma of childhood sexual abuse and the value of counselling in South Asian communities in Leicester City using a community-based approach.

Childhood sexual abuse is prevalent across all communities and backgrounds with 11% of all women having experienced child sexual abuse before the age of 16. Childhood sexual abuse is one of the most under-reported forms of abuse, as the perpetrator is usually, known to the child – making it the ultimate betrayal of trust.

One of the communities that consistently under-reports childhood sexual abuse is the South Asian Community. Cultural ideas of shame and ‘honour’ tend to be particularly restrictive to people brought up in these communities. These cultural expectations can make taking the first step to access help even more difficult and dangerous.

Through the QBS initiative, Quetzal is assessing the effectiveness of a community-based approach to help more women from a South Asian background living in Leicester to access counselling in a way that is safe and respectful of their privacy. A community-based approach recognises communities has having an active role in highlighting and addressing the issue that matter to them.

Number of referrals from South Asian Female Survivors since initiating Quetzal Breaking the Silence Initiative in 2019

Watch Our 2021 Webinar – Breaking the Silence Initiative – What we’ve learnt so far

Watch Our 2022 Webinar – Breaking the Silence Initiative – Evaluation Report Launch

Download Executive Summary

Download Full Report

Watch our Breaking the Silence Stories of Change

Watch Videos about our support

Read our latest blogs related to the project

Who is funding the initiative

Currently, the project is supported through fundraising and donations from our supporters.

Between 2019-2022, the project was funded through the Tampon Tax Fund and through the co-partnership between Comic Relief and the Department of Media, Culture and Sport (DMCS). The knowledge gathered through project will support funders and partners in the sexual and domestic violence sector to engage further with BME communities.

In 2022, Comic Relief awarded £50 000 continuation funding in support of the project. The project, which was due to terminate in March 2022, continued until December 2022.

Credits to our supporters during Comic Relief QBS 2019-2022

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