Survivors
You are believed. You are not alone. You are not to blame.
Whatever brought you here, and whatever you’re carrying — take a breath. There is no right way to feel, nothing you have to explain, and nothing you have to do next. This space is yours.
If you are in immediate danger, call 911. If you’d like to talk with someone right now — free, confidential, any time, without giving your name — you can reach the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800‑656‑4673.
What we want you to know.
It was not your fault.
Not what you wore, not what you did, not what you didn’t do, not how you responded in the moment. The responsibility belongs to the person who caused the harm — never to you.
You are believed.
You don’t have to prove anything here. You don’t have to have the words, the details, or the whole story. What you know to be true is enough.
What happened to you was real, and it mattered.
However long ago it was, however “small” someone made it seem — minimizing it does not make it smaller. Your experience deserves to be taken seriously, including by you.
Healing has no deadline.
It is rarely a straight line, and there is no schedule you are behind on. Yours can take exactly as long as it takes, and it can look however it needs to look.
Survivors are every gender.
If you are a man or a boy, and somewhere along the way you were told you should have been strong enough to stop it, or that this doesn’t happen to people like you — that was never true. Shame, silence, and those old expectations have kept many survivors from being heard. You deserve the same belief and care as anyone, without exception.
Wherever you are, you’re welcome here.
Maybe it happened last week. Maybe it happened many years ago, and you have never said it out loud. Maybe you told someone once and were not believed. Maybe you are still not sure what to call it, or whether you are “allowed” to be hurting. All of that belongs here. You do not have to be ready for anything in order to deserve support — and you do not have to have it figured out in order to begin.
Some gentle next steps — only if and when you want them.
There is no pressure to choose any of these today. They will still be here when you are ready.
Talk to someone now
Free, confidential support lines you can reach any hour of the day or night, without giving your name. Someone is there to listen.
Immediate support →Find support near you
Advocates, counselors, and centers in every state who can walk with you — for healing, for being heard, or for help understanding your options, at your pace.
Support in your state →Resources for the longer road
You were never meant to carry this alone. When you are ready, there are trusted national and Black-led resources for the ongoing work of healing.
Explore resources →You don’t have to search alone.
Shield & Eden isn’t a crisis line or a counseling service — but we’ve gathered trusted national, state, and Black-led hotlines, advocates, and organizations in one place, so the right support is easier to find. It is all there whenever you’re ready, at whatever pace is yours.