Hannah’s story

Hannah referred herself to the ISVA service for advice because her partner had an addiction to pornography as well as issues with alcohol and cannabis misuse. She disclosed she had experienced sexual violence in the past from an acquaintance and was unsure what her options were to get support.

She also disclosed ongoing domestic abuse from her partner and felt she could not focus on recovery from the sexual violence whilst still in the relationship. She wanted to report the historic sexual violence but was scared and unsure of the process.

With Hannah’s consent, the ISVA liaised closely with the local ADAPT practitioner to look at interventions that may be available for her partner to address the pornography addiction, and to consider a referral onto the ADAPT course. When Hannah’s partner began to attend ADAPT sessions, the ISVA helped Hannah to set boundaries and provided non-therapeutic support.

The ISVA worked closely with Hannah to help her recognise the domestic abuse she was experiencing and the impact this would likely have on hers and her children’s wellbeing. Hannah was referred to Paragon for outreach support and a joint visit completed to mitigate her having to repeat her story to multiple professionals. The ISVA gave Hannah all options around reporting to the police and discussed the criminal justice process at length.

Hannah eventually ended the relationship when she felt strong enough to do so with the help and support of the ISVA, and stated this helped her greatly in her recovery from the sexual violence as the relationship was triggering to her. She felt happy that she knew all her options regarding reporting to the police and was confident that she would have support should she choose to do so at a later point. The risk of harm to Hannah has reduced and she is now in a more positive mindset, confident that she can return to the ISVA service should she decide to pursue a police report in the future.