Reunion Online

As a survivor, when I started my journey into recovery, I had no idea of who I was, who my authentic self was

By reclaiming my story, I had the power to select my narrative. No longer was I allowing others to define me, instead I was defining myself.

Testing rape kits send a fundamental and crucial message to victims of sexual violence: You matter. What happened to you matters. Your cases matter." - Mariska Hargitay

If we have any chance of bringing real and lasting change, we have to take care of the people on the frontlines of helping survivors.

Nothing in me is defective and I'm still healing.

As we reflect on Joyful Heart’s journey, we feel deeply grateful to you—our joyful community. Together we are changing the way society talks about, thinks about and responds to victims of sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse.

Creating Safe Places to Talk about Childhood Sexual Abuse

Speaking about sexual abuse is not a popular subject matter: some people cringe when I ask if we can speak to their organization.

Activists from 13 different countries and cultures sharing ideas, perspectives and expertise in the service of a common goal: to confront the stigma and the stereotypes that prevent male survivors from getting the help and connection to heal their wounds.

We owe it to survivors—and ourselves— to improve the criminal justice response to these crimes. To ensure that police and prosecutors make every effort to ensure survivors’ safety and to hold offenders accountable to the fullest extent possible.

Who we are is different from whatever experiences, diagnosis or illness we’ve had, or what behaviors we’ve engaged in.