An ABC of CSA

How do we break the silence and find the words to talk about child sexual abuse?

An ABC of CSA is a creative resource to support better conversations about child sexual abuse. It comes in the shape of a beautiful set of alphabet cards, co-created with over 40 CSA survivors and illustrated by Imogen Harvey-Lewis.

CSA survivors come from all backgrounds and all parts of society, but our experiences are hidden and taboo. Society doesn’t talk enough about CSA, and survivors often lack the words to speak up about their abuse.

Coinciding with Sexual Abuse & Sexual Violence Awareness Week 2023, we launched the project with an exhibition of the illustrations, alongside a free week-long programme of creative workshops, performance and film, at MakeTank, Exeter, from 6th to 11th February 2023.

With thanks to MakeTank for hosting our exhibition.

The Cards

The cards sing with the deep wisdom and creativity of survivors.
We will not be silenced.

The cards have been developed by our community for our community, with over 40 CSA survivors involved through a series of workshops with Viv Gordon, and have been illustrated by Artist Imogen Harvey-Lewis, the designer behind Cutting Out.

The words and images offer a snapshot of our experiences, but not every card will be meaningful for every CSA survivor. Our community is devastatingly huge. There are an estimated 11 million adult survivors of child sexual abuse in the UK. It would be impossible to represent each unique, complex journey in 26 cards.

What to expect?

Each card can be seen in different ways. They are intended to start conversations, not to tell anyone how to think or feel. They are designed to spend time with, to come back to more than once, to discover different details each time… Some may be hard to look at or provoke strong reactions. Others may feel like a warm hug from one survivor to another.

We hope they offer insight and healing. Most importantly, we hope they help us find ways to talk about our experiences as survivors of child sexual abuse.

We have created a guide to using the cards, which you can download here, and are introducing five selected cards below, with style descriptions and alt text to download.

Buy the cards from our shop!

H is for 'Hello - can you hear me?'

H shows our search for community and understanding and how it feels to be ignored. We want a platforms for our voices, and we deserve to be heard.

V is for 'My Body is a Volcano'

Our sense of injustice is embodied. This card shows the power of harnessing our anger and rage as a community.

G is for 'Grief is an emotion I didn't expect'

As individuals and a communtiy we need to be able to mourn our lost childhoods and lost innocence as well as the lives we might’ve lived without abuse.

J is for 'There is not a whole lot of justice in this world'

Patterned grey and black background. The main colours are red, green and blue, with pink skin tones. One character. “J is for there is not a whole lot of justice in this world”. This card shows a wooden door with three padlocks placed around it, and might make us wonder if the character is locked out or locked in. They stand in front of the door, about to attempt getting through a keyhole in the bottom right corner, which is disproportionately large, but still too small to let them through. Below them, a sign holds the words “There is not a whole lot of justice in this world”. There are many patterns in the design which creates a feeling of darkness and entrapment.

An ABC of CSA is a Social Justice project. 'Justice' means not only the justice system; it means the lack of access across all sectors - including the arts.

Z is for 'Feeling like a zebra in a world of giraffes'

White background. The main colours are red and yellow, with pink skin tones. Six characters. “Z is for feeling like a zebra”. This card is about feeling different. The main character is standing and wears a one piece with zebra stripes. Five other characters surround them. They all wear a giraffe-pattern one piece. Their eyes are closed and their legs and arms are arranged in a way that fills the space around them and connects them. The main character stands out visually: they are looking forward with one eye, stepping forward and are clearly not part of the pack. Several of the giraffe characters are staring at the zebra character and an arrow that points towards their face accentuates this.

A lot of us feel different and like we don't fit in but there are 11million CSA survivors. Our isolation is systemic and now we are building a community against it.

Download style description and alt text for selected images

The Impact

"This is genuinely prevention work; this coming from survivors is so much more powerful than anything else you will ever see in this space." Claire Bloor, CEO SARSAS

This video, filmed at the ABC of CSA launch in Exeter and featuring the voices of survivors, activists and sector support organisations, highlights the impact and importance of survivor-led, cultural spaces for survivors of CSA.

“Our core belief as an organisation is that surviving child sexual abuse is a creative act. ... When we come together and validate each other as credible, believable knowers, victims, survivors and witnesses of not only abuse, but also of cultural oppression, discrimination and exclusion, then everything changes.” Viv Gordon

The Exhibition

Photo credits: Viv Gordon Company and Fluxx Films

The ABC of CSA team:

Viv Gordon, Artistic Director
Imogen Harvey-Lewis, Illustrator
Kate McStraw, Executive Producer Viv Gordon Company

Helga Brandt, Marketing & Communications
Fiona Fraser-Smith, Exeter Event Producer

Kayla Harkins, Assistant to Viv Gordon
Sarah Dicks, Steering Group Project Manager & Assistant to Kate McStraw
Holly Ambrose, Graphic Design

An ABC of CSA has been supported by funding through the Southwest Women’s Spark Project, Devon County Council, SARSAS and Awards for All. Also supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England. Part of UpFront Survivors, a Viv Gordon Company project funded through the Home Office Support for Victims and Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse (SVSCSA) Fund 2022/25 and developed and delivered in partnership with SARSAS, The Green House and Coventry University.