Get to know WeSurvive (Child Sexual Abuse Survivor Support Group).

Basic Information

• Fees Type: Free
• City: Mumbai, Bengaluru
• Facilitated By: Mix Of Professionals & Facilitators
• Languages: English, and Hindi
• Meets: Once a month
• Participant Limit: 10
• Navigating Abuse

What is the group about?

"Providing a safe space for adult survivors of child sexual abuse to share and feel supported."

What is your founding story?

"Co-founders of Open Minds Foundation and facilitators of the support group are: Maya Menon, a survivor and yoga trainer and Sarika Pandit, Psychologist and Counsellor. Maya was the one who wanted to work in the space of child abuse prevention, and when she approached me with the idea, I joined her, since it is a space that is important to me too, having family members who are survivors."

Who is your group for?

"Adult survivors of child sexual abuse."

How does one sign up? What’s the coordination process like?

"We leave behind our mobile number (Maya and I). When somebody pings, we thank them for reaching out and then ask them to send a mail regarding their name, and age, since the forum is not open to those below 18. Once they confirm, we share our protocols and the zoom link."

Walk us through the average format of your group session.

"We welcome the group with an introduction of Maya and me, our hopes for the support group, the values we stand for. We then talk about the importance of confidentiality, respect for each other's stories, non judgemental attitude. We also discuss safety, having MHPs onboard, what we are equipped to handle and what we are not. We then teach a grounding and a relaxation technique. Post that, the discussion is organic. We tell partcipants that there …"

What do you hope for participants in your group to take back with them after a session?

"Landing the messages of : a) It's not your fault, no matter how you felt or how your body responded or what anyone may have told you b) You are not alone."