We understand that the words and labels we use carry weight – they can make people feel seen or excluded, they can make us seem approachable or formal.

We have carefully considered the language that we use and have chosen to use the term “victim–survivor” when referring to the people we support, who have experienced harm or abuse.

This does not mean that we expect everyone who comes to us must identify as a victim–survivor; only you get to decide the words and labels that fit your experience. For some, the term “victim” can feel disempowering, whereas for others it feels like an accurate representation of how they were treated. For some, “survivor” feels like a powerful reclamation of yourself after experiencing harm, whereas for others it feels like an expectation of being “healed” and having to move on. And for some, your identity may fluctuate between the two terms or better fit with entirely different language.

We use the term “victim–survivor” to capture the complexity of lived experience of harm, as an umbrella term that many experiences can sit within, and to capture the diversity of spaces that we offer support in. The criminal justice system refers to victim–survivors as “victims”, while many support services use the language of surviving and thriving. Combining the terms allows EQUISS to respect the wholeness of the people we are supporting, while using language that is recognise in professional spaces.

We seek to ensure all our work is trauma-informed and led by you, the people we are here to support. While we use victim–survivor to refer to everyone we support, we are always willing to use the language that best fits your identity and experience when we are supporting you.