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Church of England abuse: Su’s story

A victim of historical abuse by a Church trainee tells her story for the first time to Nicky Campbell.

In the wake of the Archbishop of Canterbury's historic resignation, Nicky Campbell has been talking to people about their experiences of the Church.

Su, a survivor of historic sexual abuse by a then-trainee minister, waived her automatic right to anonymity to tell her story publicly for the first time.

She says before and during her abuser's trial - which concluded in an indecent assault conviction in March - the Church was "notable by its absence" in terms of support for her.

"Nowhere was an offer to stand by me in court, to pray for me, to support me," she told Campbell, adding that after she contacted the safeguarding team she was asked to "call us" if she needed anything.

Su also called on the Church to make it easier for abuse survivors to have a voice and be part of reviews into its processes around safeguarding.

A member of the General Synod & the Archbishops’ Council, who started the petition calling for Justin Welby to resign, said he’d meet Su to discuss the lack of support she got.

If you've been affected by issues in this discussion, there is a range of organisations and websites that can offer you advice and support. You can find some of them listed on the Â鶹Éç's Actionline website at bbc.co.uk/actionline.

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24 minutes

Podcast