5 SELF-CARE TIPS DURING QUARANTINE
The coronavirus pandemic has affected the world in a way that has never been seen before. Shops and businesses have closed, church doors have shut and people across the world have been told to stay indoors. Consequently, this has resulted in thousands of people losing their jobs overnight, therefore leaving many families struggling. The uncertainty of this crisis has also exacerbated for many people, existing mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. I must admit I have found quarantine life challenging at times. But rather than let this crisis overwhelm me I have found enjoyable things to do to help me through it. So on that note, I want […]
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Women Appreciating Women
I had the great privilege of attending the Women Appreciating Women awards. The event is a celebration of women that are positively contributing to society. I was nominated by a lovely lady for the work I have been doing over the last decade, empowering survivors of childhood sexual abuse. I have never won an award before. Women Appreciating Women is my first one. Over 100 women of different races, nationalities and backgrounds attended the event. Some women travelled from their home countries to be present. We were all offered the opportunity to be interviewed on camera. When it was my turn I was nervous. Nevertheless, I completed the interview […]
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Healing in what you Love
My love of writing helped me heal from childhood sexual abuse. It has had a positive and beneficial influence on my life. It gave me a voice when I didn’t think I had the right to have one. Helped me articulate my feelings, and the courage to openly talk about difficult topics. When I faced the darkest times in my life, it was a source of support and comfort. I found healing in what I love. What does it mean to find healing in what you love? It simply means spending time engaging in hobbies, pursuits and interests that bring you a sense of peace, fulfilment and hope. Something […]
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Learning From Experience
There is nothing more powerful than learning from experience. Not only does it provide a unique insight into a particular issue or problem. It can equip people to better support those who are facing similar issues. I developed a bespoke workshop that I delivered and facilitated to social work practitioners and professionals. The ‘supporting young people through familial abuse’ was aimed at helping professionals to support young people that had been through familial sexual abuse. I gave a unique insight into some of the challenges a young person may face in such circumstances by sharing my experience. It was a really good session and through a mixture of activities, information […]
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DENIAL
In this monthly blog post, CSA Advocate Niki Fayase shares her thoughts on denial and its devastating effects in regards to the difficult and complex issue of childhood sexual abuse. Denial is a subject that does not seem to be openly addressed in CSA. (Child Sexual Abuse). Yet the impact and fall out of denial on survivors are huge. Studies show that children need to feel that they are believed to heal. They need to be told that this is not their fault. That they are not responsible for the abuser’s actions so they are not left with feelings of guilt, shame and worthlessness. (Helping your sexual abused child cope, […]
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FLOURISH
Daughter Arise is eight years old! It is an amazing achievement to have reached our eighth year and I am proud. It has been challenging at times, especially in the early years, as this organisation was birthed from the pain of my past trauma, but to see how it has flourished has been amazing. All that I have achieved has come at a great personal cost but it has been worth it to see all the lives that Daughter Arise has touched. As Founder and Leader of this organisation, I understand the work that I do in supporting survivors to navigate through a challenging time in their life is important. […]
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LONELINESS AND ISOLATION
I have found going through the journey of childhood sexual abuse a very lonely and isolating experience. I first recognized this at nine years old when the abuse first started. I remember feeling quite different and odd. I felt something was wrong with me. I had no one to talk to and thought I was the cause of my abuse. My Dad told me if I ever told anyone what he was doing I would become deaf and dumb. This caused me to further isolate myself especially when I was around my siblings. I managed to speak out at thirteen years old when Childline came to my secondary school. I […]
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THE POWER OF ME TOO
Recently I hosted an event in California to empower survivor’s sexual abuse. The theme of the event originated from the ‘Me Too’ movement that has gained huge attention in America because it has given survivors of all abuse a collective platform to speak out. Organising the Empower awareness event was logistically a huge task for me to accomplish. I live in London, and the time difference and not knowing anyone in California presented huge challenges, but my motivation to deliver this event kept me focused and I delivered. Daughter Arise was able to partner with other organisations in California. Project Sister works tirelessly to empower children by giving them a […]
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A Voice for the Voiceless
Recently I stood before full council elected members at Lambeth council to give a deputation to raise awareness of the challenges faced by adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse. As a constituent of this borough, a survivor that has successfully overcome many challenges in the aftermath of sexual abuse, and Founder and Leader of Daughter Arise, I decided to put myself forward to be a voice for the voiceless on this issue. The journey to giving a deputation (a process where an appointed person speaks/acts on behalf of others on a specific issue) took nine months. Besides various meetings and email exchanges with council officers, I had to write a […]
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CHOOSE LIFE!
My new book Choose life was released yesterday and I am so excited to reveal it. Choose life is an awareness and empowerment practical self-help workbook for survivors of childhood sexual abuse. I wrote this book for a number of reasons. During my journey to healing from sexual abuse, I only came across a handful of self-help books on this topic, and only a couple of books that had been actually written by a survivor. I was inspired to write this book because, during the countless conversations I have had over the last 20 years talking with friends, peers and colleagues that had been sexually abused, and specifically over […]
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