No. Twelve are inviting you to help support families affected by child sexual abuse across Nottingham this Christmas. You can get involved by donating toys and presents for children. Anything that may be of interest to children and young people aged 0 to 18, either new or lightly used. Bring your toys and presents to 2-3 Eldon Chambers, Nottingham NG1 2NS by Friday 16th December. You can also get involved by making a donation. These will be converted into Love2Shop gift vouchers.
Imara is an independent specialist service in Nottingham that supports children, young people and their safe family members following a disclosure or discovery of child sexual abuse. All of their services are free to access. They provide creative arts therapies which empower children and young people to recover from trauma, and their CHISVAs provide support and information throughout the police investigation and court process. Imara believes that talking about child sexual abuse is not shameful, ignoring it is.
For most of us, Christmas is a time for celebration and family. However, for children and young people affected by sexual abuse, Christmas can be a difficult time. For 2 in 3 families that Imara works with, the perpetrator of sexual abuse was a family member of the child, and so the expectation of spending Christmas with your family can be very challenging, putting a spotlight on those who won’t be there and how different it may feel to previous years.
With the cost of living crisis, there are more families than ever who are worrying about how they will afford Christmas. For many families that Imara works with, the abuse was perpetrated by a parent or carer. With them removed from the home, it can place additional strain on the safe parent or carer.
Thank you so much for your support, and Merry Christmas!
