Somebody may wish to talk to you about their experiences, which is called a disclosure. This can be a

Daunting experience as we all want to be as supportive as possible, and you may understandably be afraid of “saying the wrong thing”. These are some “do’s” and “don'ts” which can help you in this conversation.

Additional advice can be found at Rape Crisis’ advice page ‘supporting a survivor’

• Supporting a survivor | Rape Crisis England & Wales

• Do

  • Listen
  • Believe them and take action
  • Remember it’s not their fault
  • Recognise how tough it might have been to disclose
  • Let them stay in control
  • Respect their decisions
  • Respect their boundaries

  Don't

  • Ask why they didn’t say anything sooner
  • Judge
  • Ask why they didn’t run away or fight back
  • Judge them for how they’ve responded to sexual harassment or abuse
  • Tell anyone else without their permission