On average it takes 26 years for a man to tell someone he's been sexually abused or raped. 

We think 26 years is 26 years too long. We need your help to change this.

Our special ambassador and voice Louis Theroux made the appeal on behalf of SurvivorsUK, telling the moving story of John, who was sexually abused from the age of 11 until he was 16. It took John nearly 24 years to tell someone about his experience of sexual abuse and it was only after getting help from SurvivorsUK that he was able to see that he wasn’t to blame for what happened. 

Louis says: ‘We as a culture perhaps don’t always lend a sympathetic ear to male victims of sexual assault and sexual attack as we should. We have certain stereotypes of men needing to be strong, that they should be able to pull themselves together and not speak about their emotions. I think that can be very damaging and those people who have a history of either being abused or who are survivors of assault, need to know that they can speak up and be taken seriously and that they will be listened to.'

This year you can help change the stories of many men who have been sexually abused and by supporting our BBC Radio 4 Appeal you can help us give them a space where they will be listened to and believed. 

DONATE TODAY

£12 could pay for a 45 minute helpline chat with a man needing help 

£25 could help a person talk and share their experiences in a group setting 

£45 could help someone who is on low income to access affordable counselling

You may listen to the appeal again online but now that the BBC’s donation week is over, do not donate on the BBC site but please donate on this page or choose one of the options on our website instead. 

Thank you.