Man sexually abused from age of seven calls on Kiwis to talk 'a lot more openly' about this issue

September 17, 2018

Geoff Cavell was sexually abused by a family member from the age of seven.

A man who was sexually abused from the age of seven has joined calls for men to talk more openly about their experience after a group of male survivors of abuse told TVNZ1's Sunday programme opening up about their past has helped them.

Survivors also say more support is needed for male victims of abuse because while the global #Metoo movement" has drawn attention to the issue for women, many men are silently living with the trauma.  

Former police officer Geoff Cavell was sexually abused by a family member from the age of seven.

"The scab has only just been picked off this sore, so I think it's a pertinent time now that that wound has been opened up that we need to talk about it a lot more, a lot more openly," he told 1 NEWS.

"I think we really need to focus on this problem and start to deal with it in a proper way. The biggest problem is actually speaking about it and men traditionally, we haven't been very good at it."

Another survivor of abuse, Neil Sorenson, was emotional as he told Sunday : "My suggestion would be just to talk. It's amazing. It's incredible."

Jim Clemente, a child sexual exploitation expert, says the MeToo movement has brought the issue to the forefront.

"But mostly it's women who are talking about that. I believe there are just as many male victims." 

Advocates say more support is needed for men dealing with the fallout of such abuse.

"We haven't done very well into looking into the research into boys and men in New Zealand, which lets us down badly," Ken Clearwater of the Male Survivors of Sex Abuse Trust told TVNZ1's Breakfast.

The Ministry of Social Development says while it already funds services for male survivors of sex abuse it has also commissioned new research to find out which support and services works best for them. 

It's something Labour's Kelvin Davis has spoken out about. Now he's a minister, he says he is determined to do more.

"It has such a profound effect on people. As the Minister of Corrections I see it on a regular basis - men telling me about their experiences of being abused," Mr Davis said.

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