​Violence, Abuse and Mental Health Network

Webinars Have a look to see some of the webinars we have run so far. Click below to access the recordings, resources and more from each webinar. To stay notified as to when we are running our webinars you...

Thank you to everyone who joined our #VAMHNWebinar yesterday! You can find the recording and additional resources on our webiste: www.vamhn.co.uk/webinars.html

✅Key takeaways:
Mental health evidence always relevant
‘Freeze’ response as proof
Mental health unreliable
Mental health as ‘prism’
#VAMHNwebinar #SexualViolence #MentalHealth #Traums #Justice

📘 Legal policy is slowly evolving. Newer guidance acknowledges how trauma affects memory and calls for more supportive courtroom practices (e.g., allowing breaks). But this is not always reflected in legal culture or decision-making.
#SurvivorSupport #LegalReform

💬 Emma highlights the contradiction:
Mental health can be used to explain why survivors react as they do—but can just as easily be weaponised to discredit them. This double standard leads to inconsistent and often unjust outcomes.
#VAMHNWebinar #TraumaInformedJustice

A third case involved a survivor with a complex psychiatric diagnosis. This diagnosis was used to characterise her behaviour as manipulative and distorted, casting doubt on her entire testimony.
Mental health became a tool of discreditation.
#MentalHealthStigma #SexualViolence

In another trial, the survivor’s mental health history and self-doubt were used to suggest she fabricated her experience. Instead of recognising her uncertainty as trauma-related, it was framed as deceit—raising concerns about credibility judgments.
#VictimBlaming #LegalBias

A survivor’s mental health diagnosis was used to justify a "freeze" response during an assault. While this was accepted as evidence of trauma, it reinforced a narrow view of what “real” victimhood looks like—requiring visible passivity to be believed.

🔍This talk focused on:
1. Always relevant
2. ‘Successful’ trauma evidence
3. ‘Abnormal’ psychology
4. Mental health and memory
#VAMHNWebinar #Trauma #Justice #MentalHealth #SexualViolence

📚 Emma’s interdisciplinary PhD drew from:
Feminist texts, legal materials
Interviews with people with lived experience
Narrow understanding of relationship between sexual violence and mental health

🚨 June #VAMHNWebinar! 🚨
We’re joined by Dr. Emma Yapp (University of Bristol), presenting:
‘Normal trauma and abnormal diagnosis: The role of mental health evidence in sexual violence trials’
#Trauma #SexualViolence #MentalHealth #Justice

VAMHN lunchtime webinar Our June webinar, “Normal Trauma and Abnormal Diagnosis: The Role of Mental Health Evidence in Sexual Violence Trials”, will be delivered b

📢 June #VAMHNwebinar
Join us on 18 June, 12–12:45pm for:
“Normal Trauma and Abnormal Diagnosis: The Role of Mental Health Evidence in Sexual Violence Trials”
with Dr Emma Yapp (University of Bristol)
Register here: tinyurl.com/bdebrwz3
#SexualViolence #Trauma #Justice #MentalHealth

Thank you to everyone who joined our #VAMHNWebinar today! We will be uploading the recording and additional resources to our website soon: www.vamhn.co.uk/webinars.html

✅Key takeaways:
Male survivors face complex, often overlooked mental health challenges
Male rape myths and cultural narratives have real impacts
Race, gender, and culture intersect to shape survivor experiences
Mental health and justice systems must improve responses
#VAMHNwebinar #MaleSurvivor

‘Going undercover’ to seek support
Distrust in systems
Need for culturally competent support
Regaining agency in a masculine frame
Male rape myths in the therapy room
Institutional harm and mistrust
#CulturalCompetence #MinoritisedVoices #TraumaInformed
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📚Findings from in-depth IPA interviews with 11 South Asian men in the UK who experienced childhood sexual abuse—Widanaralalage et al. 2025
Key themes:
Family honour and shame
Taboos on sex and mental health
Dismissal and silencing
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📚Findings from men with histories of rape/sexual abuse after the age of 13 in the UK—Widanaralalage et al. 2022
Key themes:
Silence & discomfort
Masculinity, stoicism, and invulnerability
Mockery and stigma
Exclusion from services
Institutional victim blaming
Institutional betrayal

Ken’s Research—
📌How do male survivors make sense of sexual victimisation?
📌What shapes disclosure and access to support?
📌How do support services respond to male survivors?
#MaleSurvivor #SexualViolence #Intersectionality

Male rape myths extend rape culture
“Real men can’t be raped”
“Only gay men are raped”
“Men who are raped must have wanted it”
“Male rape isn’t traumatic”
These myths reinforce toxic masculinity, homophobia, and victim-blaming.
#MaleRapeMyths #RapeCulture

⚠️Male victims of sexual violence
1 in 4 men, 1 in 6 boys report lifetime experiences
Psychological impacts include: depression, nightmares, flashbacks, identity crises
Men face serious barriers to recognition, disclosure, and accessing support
Fewer tailored services are available for men

🔍This talk will focus on:
1. Prevalence and challenges to recognition
2. Impacts of male rape myths
3. Barriers to disclosure and help seeking
4. Lived experiences of survivors
5. Implications for support and policy
#VAMHNWebinar #TraumaInformedCare

🚨 Live now at #VAMHNWebinar! 🚨
We’re joined by Dr. Kenneth Widanaralalage (King’s College London), presenting:
‘Male Survivors of Sexual Violence — Silence, Myths, and Institutional Harm’
#MaleSurvivor #SexualViolence #MentalHealth #Justice

Join our May #VAMHNwebinar with Dr. Kennath Widanaralalage (King's College London) on 21 May, 12–12:45pm, as he shares the findings from research on male survivors of rape and sexual abuse, with a focus on cultural narratives, racialised stigma, and system responses. tinyurl.com/eejmehkd

Joining details:

7th May 1pm-2pm (open to all)
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/weaving-st...

8th May 4pm-5pm (teachers only)
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/weaving-st...

Join Changing Relations for their webinars showcasing the Weaving Stories of Peer Sexual Abuse animation, co-created with young people & survivors.

The webinars are pay-as-you-feel basis!

#PeerAbuse #YouthVoices

Join our May #VAMHNwebinar with Dr. Kennath Widanaralalage (King's College London) on 21 May, 12–12:45pm, as he shares the findings from research on male survivors of rape and sexual abuse, with a focus on cultural narratives, racialised stigma, and system responses. tinyurl.com/eejmehkd

Trauma-informed practice in youth justice buff.ly/mPVC6lH

Alice Dawson and Emma Cormack evaluate an umbrella review on trauma-informed clinical practice in forensic youth settings.

Effectiveness of UK-based support interventions and services aimed at adults who have experienced or used domestic and sexual violence and abuse: a systematic review and meta-analysis - BMC Public Hea... Background Domestic and sexual violence and abuse (DSVA) is prevalent and harmful. There are a range of support services and interventions available to those affected by it, but evidence of their effe...

📢 New research alert!
A UK-based systematic review by Carlisle et al. (2025) finds that advocacy & outreach services show promising outcomes for adults affected by domestic & sexual violence. Read more: tinyurl.com/fe97kvzd
#DSVA #PublicHealth #DomesticAbuse #SexualViolence

📢 March #VAMHNwebinar: The Role of Mental Health Evidence in Sexual Violence Trials

Join Dr. Emma Yapp (University of Bristol) on March 19 (12–12:45pm) as they explore how mental health evidence shapes sexual violence trials.

🔗 Register here: tinyurl.com/2s3k328z

#SexualViolence #MentalHealth

📢 March #VAMHNwebinar: The Role of Mental Health Evidence in Sexual Violence Trials

Join Dr. Emma Yapp (University of Bristol) on March 19 (12–12:45pm) as they explore how mental health evidence shapes sexual violence trials.

🔗 Register here: tinyurl.com/2s3k328z

#SexualViolence #MentalHealth

All webinars Have a look to see some of the webinars we have run so far. Click below to access the recordings, resources and more from each webinar. To stay notified as to when we are running our webinars you...

🔥 Survivors don’t need to be "tidy"—they need to be heard, believed, and supported.

Thank you to everyone who joined our #VAMHNWebinar today! We will be uploading the recording and additional resources to our website soon: www.vamhn.co.uk/all-webinars...

#Violence #Abuse #MinoritisedSurvivor