OUR HISTORY
& MISSION
WHEN
REIGN began in 2016 when a small group of young survivors of child sexual abuse and exploitation met through the youth charity RECLAIM.
Our experiences gave us the determination to create change. Together we set out to challenge the stigma surrounding sexual abuse and exploitation, strengthen professional understanding, and help ensure that no other child would be failed by the systems designed to protect them.
Why
Child sexual abuse and exploitation remain some of the most difficult harms to talk about and address. The topic can feel uncomfortable, complex, and surrounded by stigma, which can leave professionals feeling uncertain about how to recognise the signs, start conversations, or respond with confidence.
This lack of understanding can mean that abuse is not always recognised for what it is, and children can struggle to have their experiences understood.
As survivors, we realised our lived experiences could offer powerful insight into how abuse and exploitation unfold in a child’s life. By sharing these perspectives, we help professionals deepen their understanding, build confidence, and strengthen their responses to children and young people.
As survivors, we realised our stories and insight had the power to impact professionals and challenge misconceptions, as well as improve services and how they are delivered.
How
Through survivor-led insight, REIGN helps professionals better understand how child sexual abuse and exploitation unfold in a child’s life, the barriers children face when seeking help, and how responses from adults and services can shape a child’s journey.
By bringing lived experience into professional learning spaces, we help bridge the gap between survivors and the systems designed to protect them. Our work creates opportunities for honest reflection, deeper understanding, and greater confidence in responding to these harms.
REIGN is completely survivor-led. Within our collective, survivors are supported to share their expertise and are paid a professional fee for their contributions, recognising lived experience as valuable knowledge that can help shape better systems.
Those who have lived through the system are best the ones best placed to improve it.
OUR VALUES
We stand against discrimination, victimisation or harassment. We work with and support survivors of all backgrounds, identities and beliefs. Our organisation is a safe space for people to be who they are, irrespective of their politics, sexual orientation, abilities or disabilities, ethnic background, sex, or gender identity.
COMPASSION
We believe children and survivors should be met with empathy, understanding, and care. Compassion shapes how we approach our work and reminds us that behind every conversation about abuse is a person whose experiences deserve to be recognised and respected.
JUSTICE
The pursuit of justice is central to our mission. We work to strengthen the systems designed to protect children by improving understanding, challenging stigma, and supporting fair and respectful responses to those affected by abuse.
INTEGRITY
We are honest, transparent, and accountable in everything we do. As a survivor-led organisation, we ensure our work reflects the values and standards we believe should exist across the systems supporting children and survivors.
COURAGE
Child sexual abuse and exploitation are often surrounded by silence, stigma, and discomfort. We are committed to speaking about these harms openly, helping to challenge misconceptions, deepen understanding, and ensure children do not carry the shame for crimes committed against them.