After: Surviving sexual assault

Catriona talks to fellow survivor Kevin Marshall about being abused as a child, and why the taboo of sexual abuse in the black community stopped him from talking about it. Kevin was abused by someone close to his family. The abuse started when he was only five years old, and lasted for four years. But as Kevin explains, his experience influenced all of his future relationships, as he tried to shut himself off to anyone who might get close. In part 1, Kevin talks quite explicitly about what he experienced, so if you want to skip this conversation, you can head back to the feed now and go straight to part 2, where Kevin talks about some of the ways he has coped since. If you've been affected by child sexual abuse or violence, you can find details of organisations in the UK who offer help and support at bbc.co.uk/actionline. Presented by Catriona Morton, After is a 10-part series, featuring discussions between survivors of sexual abuse and assault about what happened to them and how they cope now. Produced by Danielle Stephens. The Executive Producers are Clare Chadburn and Nick Minter. It is a Wisebuddah production for BBC Sounds.

Catriona talks to Nyala Moon about being raped by a man she was dating, who attempted to force her into sex work. Nyala is a trans woman and she started transitioning when she was a teenager. She talks about how the prejudice that trans people often face stopped her from reporting the incident to the authorities, or even telling friends what had happened. She also talks about a separate incident, when she was assaulted by an intimate partner, and why she used this narrative to produce a film about sexual abuse. This first part contains details that many listeners may find distressing, so if you’re not in a place to listen to something like that right now, you can go to part two where Catriona talks to Nyala about how she’s doing now. If you've been affected by sexual abuse or violence, you can find details of organisations in the UK who offer help and support at bbc.co.uk/actionline. Presented by Catriona Morton, After is a 10-part series, featuring discussions between survivors of sexual abuse and assault about what happened to them and how they cope now. Produced by Danielle Stephens. The Executive Producers are Clare Chadburn and Nick Minter. It is a Wisebuddah production for BBC Sounds.

Catriona talks to fellow survivor Winnie M Li about what happened when she was raped by a stranger while on a hike in Northern Ireland, and then seeing her rapist convicted. As always, this first part contains details many listeners may find distressing, including the police investigation after she was attacked. If you feel like leaving this part for another time, then head back to the feed to listen to part 2, where we hear how Winnie’s doing now. You can also read more about Winnie’s experience and the aftermath in her novel Dark Chapter and at www.winniemli.com If you've been affected by sexual abuse or violence, you can find details of organisations in the UK who offer help and support at bbc.co.uk/actionline. Presented by Catriona Morton, After is a 10-part series, featuring discussions between survivors of sexual abuse and assault about what happened to them and how they cope now. Produced by Danielle Stephens. The Executive Producers are Clare Chadburn and Nick Minter. It is a Wisebuddah production for BBC Sounds.

Catriona talks to fellow survivor Sabah Kaiser about how it felt to be abused as a child and have no one believe her. Sabah grew up in a British-Muslim household. Her parents were originally from Pakistan, but her father died when she was only two years old. Sabah was abused from the age of seven, and despite trying to tell a number of adults around her, she says no one believed her – including her own mother. The abuse Sabah experienced started when she was very young and it’s a difficult conversation to hear. So if you want to skip straight to part 2, the story of how she has learned to live after her experience is really beautiful. You can go back to the feed now to hear that part. If you've been affected by child sexual abuse or violence, you can find details of organisations in the UK who offer help and support at bbc.co.uk/actionline. Anybody who wants to share their experience of child sexual abuse can do so at the Truth Project, which is part of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse. Just go to www.truthproject.org.uk Presented by Catriona Morton, After is a 10-part series, featuring discussions between survivors of sexual abuse and assault about what happened to them and how they cope now. Produced by Danielle Stephens. The Executive Producers are Nick Minter and Clare Chadburn. It is a Wisebuddah production for BBC Sounds.

Catriona talks to fellow survivor Melissa about what happened when she brought a case of rape all the way to court, and received a ‘not-guilty’ verdict. Melissa isn’t her real name, but in a case like this, we cannot identify the accused for legal reasons. Those who know Melissa might recognise her story. So to keep all parties involved anonymous, she agreed we could use a voice actor to record her half of the conversation. This allowed Melissa to talk in detail about how she feels her case was handled. In part one, Catriona and Melissa talk in detail about sexual assault and the process that follows if you report it to authorities. If you’re not in the place to listen to this right now, please head back to the feed to listen to part two of Melissa’s story. If you've been affected by sexual abuse or violence, you can find details of organisations in the UK who offer help and support at bbc.co.uk/actionline. Presented by Catriona Morton, After is a 10-part series, featuring discussions between survivors of sexual abuse and assault about what happened to them and how they cope now. The voice actor for this episode is Heather Long. Produced by Danielle Stephens. The Executive Producers are Nick Minter and Clare Chadburn. It is a Wisebuddah production for BBC Sounds.

Catriona talks to fellow survivor Leo about what happened when they were assaulted on two occasions while exploring BDSM. Leo – who identifies as non-binary and uses they/them pronouns – isn’t their real name. But for personal reasons they’ve chosen to be anonymous. Leo talks about the misconceptions people have about consent in the BDSM community and why the fear of being judged or shamed about their sexual desires stopped them from going to anyone for help. In this episode, Leo talks about the sexual trauma they experienced in detail, and we talk explicitly about sex and intimacy, so if you want to leave this one for another day, head back to the feed and go straight to part two for how they cope today. If you've been affected by sexual abuse or violence, you can find details of organisations in the UK who offer help and support at bbc.co.uk/actionline. Presented by Catriona Morton, After is a 10-part series, featuring discussions between survivors of sexual abuse and assault about what happened to them and how they cope now. Produced by Danielle Stephens. The Executive Producer is Clare Chadburn. It is a Wisebuddah production for BBC Sounds.

Catriona talks to fellow survivor Moya about what happened when she was groomed and assaulted as a 13-year-old. Like Catriona, it wasn’t until she was in her late teens that Moya realised that what she had gone through was abuse. Moya isn’t her real name, but for personal reasons she’s chosen to go anonymous. Just a warning that in part one, Moya talks in detail about the sexual abuse she suffered as a child aged 13, as well as issues around suicide and complications from an abortion. If you feel like leaving this part for another day, head back to the feed now and go straight to part 2 to find out how Moya copes now. If you've been affected by child sexual abuse or violence, you can find details of organisations in the UK who offer help and support at bbc.co.uk/actionline. Presented by Catriona Morton, After is a 10-part series, featuring discussions between survivors of sexual abuse and assault about what happened to them and how they cope now. Produced by Danielle Stephens. The Executive Producer is Clare Chadburn. It is a Wisebuddah production for BBC Sounds.

Tanaka Mhishi tells Catriona about what happened when he was raped while on a date a few years ago. Tanaka talks about losing friends after the assault, because they weren’t able to support him when he needed them. This episode contains discussion of sexual abuse directly and the suicidal thoughts and loneliness it can cause. If you don’t feel like listening to details of sexual abuse, you can head straight to the next episode of After, to hear how Tanaka has coped since. If you've been affected by sexual abuse or violence, you can find details of organisations in the UK who offer help and support at bbc.co.uk/actionline. Presented by Catriona Morton, After is a 10-part series, featuring discussions between survivors of sexual abuse and assault about what happened to them and how they cope now. Produced by Danielle Stephens. The Executive Producer is Clare Chadburn. It is a Wisebuddah production for BBC Sounds.

Alissa Anne Jeun Yi was raped on a night out while at university a few years ago. Alissa tells Catriona why she found it difficult to understand that what happened to her was rape, even though she was studying law at the time. This episode contains discussion of sexual abuse directly, so if you don’t feel like listening to that now, you can head straight to the next episode of After, to hear how Alissa has coped since. If you've been affected by sexual abuse or violence, you can find details of organisations in the UK who offer help and support at bbc.co.uk/actionline. Presented by Catriona Morton, After is a 10-part series, featuring discussions between survivors of sexual abuse and assault about what happened to them and how they cope now. Produced by Danielle Stephens. The Executive Producer is Clare Chadburn. It is a Wisebuddah production for BBC Sounds.

Tom Leavesley-Matthews was 11 when he was sexually abused after a period of grooming. It took him many years to realise what had happened to him. But at the age of 29, he went to the police, and his abuser was convicted five years ago. He talks to fellow survivor Catriona about the abuse he experienced and what it was like to report it to the police many years later. He also talks about the long-term loneliness he experienced, particularly after he told his family and friends about what happened to him. This episode contains discussion of sexual abuse directly and the suicidal thoughts and loneliness it can cause. If you don’t feel like listening to details of sexual abuse, that’s fine. You can head straight to the next episode of After, to hear how Tom has coped since. If you've been affected by child sexual abuse or violence, you can find details of organisations in the UK who offer help and support at bbc.co.uk/actionline. Presented by Catriona Morton, After is a 10-part series, featuring discussions between survivors of sexual abuse and assault about what happened to them and how they cope now. Produced by Danielle Stephens. The Executive Producer is Clare Chadburn. It is a Wisebuddah production for BBC Sounds.