A personal reflection on post-traumatic growth after sexual violence, and the complicated reality that healing does not always mean leaving pain behind. This piece explores how change, strength, and a renewed sense of self can coexist with the lasting impact of trauma.

One year of Make Yourself Heard: reflecting on how a small idea has grown into a community rooted in lived experience, shared voices and the belief that being heard can help create change.

Women in Whitehall was born from being told “no” - too junior, too niche, too difficult to publish. Dalia and Daniella decided to build the platform they wished had existed for them: one where young women can share their ideas, build confidence, gain recognition and be taken seriously in political and academic spaces.

The CPS has apologised after prosecutors failed to tell the court that Simon Levy was being investigated for rape and murder when bail was considered. Jade Blue reflects on the limits of institutional apologies and asks what meaningful accountability must now involve.

Victims and families have been forced to live through weeks of uncertainty as early release plans have been announced, paused, reviewed and changed. This journal reflects on the anger behind that uncertainty - and why victims cannot keep being treated as an afterthought in decisions that directly affect their safety and lives.

Jade Belgrove shares her experience of childhood grooming, rape and seeking justice years later. She reflects on the lasting impact of the abuse, the uncertainty created by changes to sentencing, and why she is now campaigning alongside other survivors to ensure their voices help shape a fairer future.

A reflection on the fear that can come when anxiety returns after years away, and why seeking therapy or stepping back from something that has become overwhelming is not failure. Inspired by Natalie Fleet’s openness, it explores how trauma, health and new pressures can remain intertwined - and why listening to yourself sooner can be a sign of progress.

An anonymous survivor shares the devastating impact that uncertainty around the government's early release plans is having on their daily life. From sleepless nights and recurring nightmares to fears for their safety, this powerful reflection highlights the lasting trauma survivors can face long after a conviction.

When the defence raised sexsomnia, Jade Blue's rape trial was stopped just 13 days before it was due to begin. Years later, following a successful Victims' Right to Review and legal action against the CPS, new guidance has been introduced to help prosecutors more robustly scrutinise sexsomnia claims and expert evidence. In this personal reflection, she explores why the update matters and what it could mean for future cases.

Years spent navigating the justice system taught me how to advocate for myself. What I didn't expect was to need many of those same skills when seeking answers about my own health. A personal reflection on women's health, self-advocacy, and the similarities between two very different systems.

At 12 years old, Ava was groomed and raped by a 16-year-old boy. Despite a guilty plea and conviction, she was left feeling unprotected, unheard, and failed by the very systems meant to safeguard her. This anonymous account explores the lasting impact of abuse, institutional failures, and the reality of seeking justice as a child.

An anonymous reflection submitted to Make Yourself Heard after seeing recent statistics showing fewer than 3 in 100 rape cases may end in a charge. The piece explores trust, reporting, and the emotional reality many survivors face when navigating the justice system.

A reflection on what it really means to navigate the justice system - the endurance it takes, the gaps it reveals, and why speaking out matters. Because when voices come together, change becomes possible, and fewer people have to go through it alone.

Make Yourself Heard - however that looks for you.
No pressure, no perfect words. Just starting somewhere.

This anonymous submission explores what that can feel like in real life.

Ten years of being tracked, controlled, and isolated.
This survivor account shows how stalking can begin early, escalate behind closed doors, and shape daily life in ways that are hard to see from the outside - and even harder to escape.

A recent investigation has exposed online spaces where men share advice on drugging, assaulting and recording women - at a scale that’s hard to ignore. It’s easy to see this as extreme, but it reflects patterns many survivors already recognise. What’s being uncovered isn’t separate from the system - it’s part of it.

I walked into a pub and came face to face with the person who raped me - a moment I’d feared for years, unsure whether it would undo the work it’s taken to get here. Remarkably, it didn’t break me.

This is a deeply personal account of what it means to seek justice - and what happens when the system cannot hold that weight. Georgie shares the reality of delay, trauma, and the lasting impact of being let down by the very process meant to protect.

Vicki shares a personal reflection shaped by lived experience of delay and systemic failure. What began as uncertainty around reform became a clearer understanding of what change could actually offer.

In Not the Perfect Victim, Anna Kahill reflects on how trauma, silence and a late autism diagnosis shaped her understanding of a rape that happened when she was nineteen. The piece challenges the narrow expectations placed on victims and the myth that there is such a thing as a “perfect victim.”