Abuse survivor's message of hope

Andy Strowman, who has previously lobbied Wigan Council to do more for victims of child sex abuse, wants to share his powerful words with young people.
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Mr Strowman wants to raise awareness of his message for the next generation to ensure they do not go through similar horrific experiences to him.

He has urged town hall leaders to acknowledge abuse scandals from the past and hold memorial services where survivors are given a high-profile platform to openly discuss what happened to them.

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He has also been campaigning for some time to get local authorities to introduce more transparency about child sex abuse problems.

Andy StrowmanAndy Strowman
Andy Strowman

Mr Strowman said he would like to visit schools to speak to pupils and teachers about the sensitive issue.

And he has shared the words he would like to say to others.

Mr Strowman said: “It is my dream to be allowed to go back to schools and give this talk in assembly.

“I want to tell the story in schools. Somewhere in Wigan and Leigh there is a lad or a lass like me.

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“This speech means so much to me. I want to get the word out and protect children.”

Mr Strowman’s speech includes a poem he wrote describing what it is like to harbour feelings of not fitting in.

He describes ways of coping for children who are young but carrying a large secret with them, before going on to teach the pupils about child sexual abuse and exploitation.

He speaks frankly about receiving unwanted attention from adults when he was young and how they can spot the telltale signs that something is wrong.

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Mr Strowman said that when he was young he felt there was no one he could tell about the appalling things that were happening to him.

However, he then tells the young children that is no longer the case today and there are places they can go and people they can speak to where their stories will be heard, believed and acted upon.

He finishes his speech with a strong message to anyone suffering from abuse that the catalogue of horrific things in their lives is not their fault.

Mr Strowman now hopes that schools in the borough and around the country might take an interest in sharing his speech with anyone who could benefit from it.

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Mr Strowman has been working to bring shocking examples of child exploitation to light and visited the North West to disclose information to the Investigation Into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) chaired by Professor Alexis Jay.

He came to Liverpool to tell his story, as he had been supported for three years before that by The Lantern Project.

While in the North West he took the opportunity of visiting Wigan town hall to urge the local authority to do more for abuse survivors.

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