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SurvivorSpace is a safe place for survivors of child sexual abuse. It is a clearinghouse of resources, empowering messages of hope and healing, and information about victims’ rights and new legislation.

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Listen to survivors of child sexual abuse share their experiences, journeys to healing, and tips for other survivors.

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View news stories about legislative changes, victims’ rights, and other key issues related to child sexual abuse, as wells as annoucements about new site content and resources.

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Know Your Rights

Recent and ongoing changes to statutes of limitations (SOLs) are opening up new rights for some survivors of child sexual abuse. Understanding SOLs, the civil litigation process, and state-specific laws can enable survivors to know and access their rights.

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WHO WE ARE

What is SurvivorSpace?

SurvivorSpace is home to information and resources related to child sexual abuse. It includes self-care and resiliency strategies for survivors, information about state Statues of Limitations, survivor stories, tips for loved ones of survivors, and news stories. SurvivorSpace is informed by survivors, for survivors.

For many survivors, deciding to learn more about child sexual abuse, disclosing the abuse, and/or pursuing civil litigation can be empowering and meaningful. Decisions like these are often difficult. SurvivorSpace offers resources and self-care and resiliency tips informed by survivors, for survivors.

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Quick Assessment

Adverse Childhood Experience Quiz

Select the boxes that apply to you. Hover over each option to learn more.
Your ACEs Score: 0/10
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SURVIVOR SPOTLIGHT

Amber Higgins

Amber Higgins is a survivor of child sexual abuse, a speaker, and a domestic violence center advocate who is dedicated to empowering other survivors. Abused by her best friend’s dad, Amber worked with law enforcement to secure a confession from her abuser, who was sentenced to prison. Today, Amber is committed to ensuring that survivors feel heard, validated, and supported in their healing journey.

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News & Announcements

May 23, 2023

Sex Abuse in Catholic Church: Over 1,900 Minors Abused in Illinois, State Says

April 28, 2023

$2.3B awarded in sex abuse lawsuit that named Mormon church

April 25, 2023

Congress Re-Introduces Bill to Protect Kids From Online Sexual Abuse

April 20, 2023

Charges put focus on Jehovah’s Witnesses’ handling of abuse

April 14, 2023

JPMorgan executives knew about sex abuse claims against then-client Jeffery Epstein, court filing alleges

April 12, 2023

Law Will End Time Limit on Maryland Child Sex Abuse Lawsuits

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Coming in 2023 users will be able to download the mobile app to stay connected with the SurvivorSpace community while on the go. Sign up for our mailing list to stay updated!

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This website/mobile application was produced by Zero Abuse Project under grant number 15POVC-21-GK-01095-NONF, awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this website/mobile application are those of the contributors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
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What Does Your ACEs Score Mean?

The quiz score is based on ten types of childhood trauma measured in the original ACEs study.

Five are personal:  physical abuse, verbal abuse, sexual abuse, physical neglect, and emotional neglect.

Five are related to other family members: a parent who’s an alcoholic, a parent who’s a victim of domestic violence, a family member in jail, a family member diagnosed with a mental illness, and the disappearance of a parent through divorce, death or abandonment.

You get one point for each type of trauma. The higher your ACE score, the higher your risk of disease, social and emotional problems as an adult.

What Doesn't The Quiz Take Into Account?

First, there are many experiences that could be traumatic for children that the quiz doesn’t ask about such as community violence, poverty, housing insecurity, racism, other forms of discrimination, natural disasters, chaotic environments, isolation, lack of services and more.

This means answering all the questions on the ACE quiz will not give a full picture of the adversity a child has faced – and thus would not be a true indicator of possible risk—nor a full picture of the possible solutions communities should consider.

Second, everyone is different, and adverse experiences in childhood affect each child differently. Just because a person has experienced several ACEs does not mean that later social, emotional, or health problems are inevitable. Some children develop resilience – the ability to overcome serious hardship – while others do not.

Genetic factors also play a role, in that some children are predisposed to be more sensitive to adversity than others. And the most common factor among children who show resilience is at least one stable and responsive relationship with a supportive adult.

Finally, the ACEs quiz doesn’t consider the crucial role protective factors such as supportive relationships play in buffering the effects of trauma and toxic stress in a child’s life.

How Can Learning My Score Be Helpful?

The ACEs quiz is a helpful tool for raising awareness about the potential impact of ACEs, on both an individual and community level. When we know more, we can do more. Understanding how trauma has long-lasting impacts is a key part of healing and, most importantly, prevention.

But, each and every one of us is strong and capable of recovery.

In fact, receiving an ACE score is often a transformative time for individuals on their path toward recovery. We encourage individuals to visit the resources listed below to learn strategies for healing, and also to learn how this information can be used as a powerful tool for parents and caregivers who want to break the cycle of trauma that’s often passed down among generations.

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Get Updates

Learn more about ACE’s:

  • https://www.ted.com/talks/nadine_burke_harris_how_childhood_trauma_affects_health_across_a_lifetime
  • https://www.ted.com/talks/nadine_burke_harris_how_childhood_trauma_affects_health_across_a_lifetime?language=en#t-535339
  • Harris, N. B. (2014, September). How childhood trauma affects health across a lifetime [Video]. TED.
  • Dr. Nadine Burke provides a Ted Talk about childhood trauma and ACEs as a public health crisis, and lasting/lifetime impacts of childhood trauma. This Ted Talk stresses the need to recognize childhood trauma/ACEs as a public health crisis, and could validate mental and medical health struggles adult survivors may have experienced. 

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