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Statement: Sexual Abuse and Sexual Violence Awareness Week

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Sexual Abuse and Sexual Violence Awareness Week

In light of a new week-long drive by campaigners and charities to boost awareness of everyday sexual abuse and violence – a horrifying reality sustained by a shameful culture of silence – the Chief Rabbi urges readers to take a proactive approach to rooting out this evil if they have suffered or witnessed abuse. It is also imperative that societies receive victims with ‘warmth and sensitivity’, he maintains.

“This week I add my voice to those supporting the inaugural Sexual Abuse and Sexual Violence Awareness Week, an initiative aiming to generate a frank and necessary public conversation about a crime as old as the taboo that has, shamefully, protected it. Sexual violence and abuse are among the most insidious of evils, with devastating lifelong consequences. Every one of us has a part to play in sending the clearest possible message that we will not stand idly by. We must do everything in our power to receive victims with warmth and sensitivity and create a culture of support for them right across our communities.”