BARNSLEY Sexual Abuse and Rape Crisis Services has launched a borough-wide campaign with Barnsley Council aimed at helping residents to ‘lose the stigma’ of sexual harm.

The ‘Ask the Question’ campaign is the first whole town initiative across the UK.

Bosses say people who have experienced sexual abuse often feel like they are silenced and unable to talk about what happened, carrying the weight of the abuse whilst the perpetrator receives no sanction at all.

Nationwide, there has been a significant move to improve responses to sexual harm and there is recognition of how not supporting people can lead to negative life outcomes.

BSARCS - supported by national services including the Centre for Expertise in Childhood Sexual Abuse and The Survivors Trust - has trained more than 650 local professionals to ‘ask the question’ in order to support residents with their experience.

Following the training, Barnsley residents will be able to speak openly about sexual harm if they wish to, as services such as mental health, GPs, domestic violence and drugs and alcohol will be ‘asking the question’.

Lynne Casserly, the charity’s CEO, told the Chronicle: “We are really proud to be leading the first whole town initiative which will help people manage the pain and impact of sexual abuse.

” This Barnsley initiative is in its very early stages and already 20 per cent of people asked said they have experienced sexual harm, often in childhood.

“The impact on people receiving appropriate support can be huge, with positive change in mental health, a reduction in suicide attempts and use of drugs and alcohol dependency.

“Enabling people to talk, to understand the impact of the trauma they have gone through and to truly believe it wasn’t their fault will really change lives for the better.”