I believe you: How your role hearing a disclosure matters

We know from the Active* Consent and USI Sexual Experiences Survey that high percentages of Irish college students have experienced sexual violence and harasssment.  

(above) % of students that have experienced some form of sexual harassment since starting college.

(above) % students reporting nonconsensual penetration since starting college

For survivors of sexual violence and harassment, telling someone about what happened to you can be really scary. We know from our research that many different factors stop young people from telling anyone about a negative sexual experience.

For survivors, the first experience of disclosure is so important. Getting a negative reaction from the person they tell can severely affect how they feel about what happened, and how they deal with the aftermath of the incident.

However, showing someone that you believe them and are there to support them can improve their experience dramatically, and have a positive impact on how they deal with what happened (like empowering them to report the incident).