Since disclosing in November 2016, I have spoken to multiple organisations with the intention of trying to drive some positive changes.
This would benefit and help those who have been affected by past abuses within sport but also to affect changes that will positively benefit those currently in and those moving into sport.
Mostly, this has been a frustrating experience. The exception, for me, has been the VOICE project.
My involvement in the project began in June 2017 when I gave a talk at the VOICE UK acknowledgement forum at the East Midlands Conference Centre.
It was the first time I had spoken in public about my experiences. The following September, I gave a presentation at the week-long VOICE Symposium in Cologne and I have also been involved in some short films for the project.
My hope is that these films raise awareness of the issue of sexual abuse in sport and help to promote the VOICE project.
Its core aim is that ensuring that the voice of the survivors is central to its research.
Through its active involvement of survivors in the production of educational materials to help combat sexual violence in sport, it has been an empowering and cathartic experience for me.
It is this kind of educational output which can help to make real change. A wider awareness of the VOICE project and how it has positively affected my life could, in my opinion, help many other victims of sexual abuse in sport.
Find out more about the VOICE project and their involvement across Europe.
