THE sexual assault referral centre in Swindon has made changes to help men feel more comfortable about contacting them for support.

The SARC saw a spike in calls after Channel 5 documentary When Women Abuse Men highlighted the issue of male sexual assault and rape last week.

Lewis Leggatt works at the centre, which offers confidential and practical emotional support for victims from specialist crisis workers who can refer people to other emotional and practical support services.

He added: “Sometimes men can struggle to recognise that what happened to them was abuse or even a crime, but they’re not immune to its potentially life-long impact.

“It’s all about starting the recovery process and talking is the biggest step. Once that happens, it gets things into motion and they realise how they can be helped.

“We get some referrals from the police while others refer themselves because they don’t want to contact the police. Either way, they receive the same support.

“There are often spikes in self-referrals when sexual assault is in the media and male victims are being discussed more often than before. The documentary helped encourage men and concerned family members to reach out for help, it was really impactful.

“It’s never too late to receive support, whether it happened recently or it’s a historic case from decades ago. Some people don’t tell anyone about it for years and it can affect their other relationships.”

Office for National Statistics data indicates that 155,000 men were estimated to have experienced sexual assault in 2020 - but 81 per cent of them did not report it or seek help afterwards.

Two anonymous survivors who did contact the centre explained the big difference it made to their lives.

One said: “The whole team have been amazing Just keep doing what you’re doing. It’s been a horrible experience for me but you’ve made it easier, thank you.”

Another added: “Since speaking to the SARC, [what happened] no longer defines who I am- but before the SARC, it did.

“This whole process has helped me understand myself. It’s like I was running on autopilot and this process has rebooted me.

“I feel stronger and able to talk about my experiences. It made me a happier person following the ‘reboot’.”

If the assault has happened recently, they can have a forensic medical examination to collect the evidence, which is then stored for two years while they decide whether or not to get the police involved.

The centre helps all adults affected by sexual violence though staff have made significant efforts to adapt and expand their services so that men feel more included.

Mr Leggatt added: “From our experience, men tend to be more concerned about confidentiality because they feel ashamed or embarrassed or concerned about being taken seriously.

“They’re more likely to drop in and out of the support services, so it can be hard to engage with them - but that just means we have to make every second count.

“Sexual assault referral centres used to be very female-centric so we spent months looking at how we can improve our support for men.

“We employed a male crisis worker, put together information packs specifically for men, removed gendered language from our posters and documents, even trivial things like the wall colour and building’s design can make a difference.

“We have had positive feedback from this and are continuing to listen and make meaningful changes We support everyone fairly and with dignity.

“Sometimes people don’t know that these centres even exist so they don’t factor that into their options. But help is out there and the service is getting better, I’ve seen it myself.

“There’s no rush, but if you have any concerns, please give us a call.”

For more information or support, call the South Marston-based centre at any time on 01793 781916 or email sw.sarc@firstlight.org.uk