A national helpline to support male survivors of rape and sexual assault has seen an increase in usage of 102% in recent months.
The announcement from the Male Survivors Partnership, follows the launch of the first ever Victim Strategy by the Ministry of Justice, who currently funds the National Male Survivors helpline.
Safeline, which operate the National Male Survivors helpline on behalf of the Male Survivors Partnership, is crediting the steep increase as a result of the male rape storyline in Coronation Street featuring much-loved character David Platt, and the grooming and sexual abuse storyline covered in Hollyoaks involving characters Brody, Ollie and Buster.
The Coronation Street storyline first aired in March – and saw Jack P Sheppard’s character have his drink spiked and subsequently raped by Josh Tucker, a character he believed to be a friend.
In the months following the broadcast, total interactions with the National Male Survivors Helpline more than double from 609 in April to 1373 in July.
Men can get in touch with the organisation by phone, text and email – all contact methods have seen increases in usage over the four-month period.
Neil Henderson, co-founder of Male Survivors Partnership and CEO of Safeline, who manage the National Male Survivors helpline, said: “It’s really encouraging to see that more men are finding the confidence to come forward to access support. It also shows how invaluable it is for high profile TV programmes, like Coronation Street and Hollyoaks, to cover these important issues to help raise awareness and show men that help is available – they’re not alone.
“We absolutely need to make sure these services, that operate within the agreed quality standard, are available to support men who need it most – with these pathways in place, men and boys can get in touch using a method they’re comfortable with and we can help them work through personal and sometimes painful issues.”
For further information on the standards and further guidance please visit the Male Survivors Partnership website - www.malesurvivor.co.uk or follow on Twitter - @MaleSurvivorUK or Facebook - @MaleSurvivorsPartnership