During November and December 2024, Nexus will mark 40 years of supporting people impacted by sexual abuse and abusive relationships in Northern Ireland.
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NewsTranscript
00:00It's an absolute privilege to be leading Nexus in its 40th anniversary year.
00:05The organisation's unwavering support for victims and survivors of sexual abuse over
00:10this period of time has been phenomenal.
00:13And this is thanks to the dedication, commitment and passion of its staff, volunteers and trustees.
00:20Without their hard work and determination, Nexus wouldn't be the charity that it is today.
00:25They have prided themselves on building their expertise so that they can support the most
00:31vulnerable in our society.
00:33It is imperative that victims and survivors of sexual abuse and abusive relationships
00:38have a safe space where they can recover and thrive again in their lives.
00:44And this is what Nexus clearly prides itself upon.
00:47Without a doubt, we've seen a growth in the services and supports that Nexus offers over
00:51the years, starting very much as a volunteer-led organisation in response to a spate of rapes
00:57in the South Belfast area, to today a charity that is regional, supports adults and children
01:04who are victims of sexual abuse and abusive relationships across Northern Ireland in their
01:09local communities, through our work in early intervention and prevention activity, whereby
01:14we train and skill young people to recognise the signs of an abusive relationship, to discuss
01:21consent and what that means to them, so that they can develop a safe and healthy relationship
01:27in the future.
01:29Also to inform and support professionals that are working alongside young people and other
01:33vulnerable adults, to recognise the signs of abuse, to respond effectively to a disclosure
01:40and to signpost appropriately.
01:42The key to all of this work is working alongside service commissioners and policy makers, helping
01:48to shape the future of service offering, the policies and processes that are there to protect
01:55victims and survivors, so whether that's informing a consultation exercise around legal changes
02:01and legal remedies, or whether it's shaping the future of service offering for victims
02:06and survivors of sexual abuse.
02:09This is imperative to ensuring that we break the cycle and have a society free from sexual
02:14abuse. Undoubtedly this work is challenging, it requires us to lobby, to advocate and to
02:20protect the rights of victims and survivors. However, it is so worthwhile when we start
02:25to see new legislation, new protections for victims and survivors, new service offerings
02:32and we raise their voice and allow them to have a profile.
02:35It challenges our society to view sexual abuse and abusive relationships in a much
02:39more compassionate and considerate way. We know that we're making progress. As we look
02:44to the future we can do so with hope. Change is happening around us, our society's views
02:49are being challenged, people are starting to question behaviours, attitudes and beliefs
02:54that have been ingrained and entrenched in our communities for so long. It is important
02:58that we galvanise the movement to work together with our partner agencies and with broader
03:04society to achieve a society free from sexual abuse and abusive relationships.