Sexual Abuse Awareness Week and Sexual Violence - 3rd-9th February 2025

“Just having someone that believes you is so important for victims,” says ‘Bea’, who was kidnapped and sexually assaulted after a night out with friends.

Victim-survivor Bea, not her real name as the identity of victims of rape or serious sexual offences is protected under law, has spoken out as part of a Norfolk Constabulary campaign to raise awareness of the crime during Sexual Abuse and Sexual Violence Awareness Week (3- 9 February) to encourage others to come forward.

Partners are supporting the awareness week to challenge some of the myths around rape and sexual offences, which can prevent people from reporting or seeking help - such as feeling the police cannot help, that they will be judged, or that it would leave them feeling embarrassed or humiliated.

Five in six women do not report rape and four in five men with many citing the above reasons for not coming forward. *

The constabulary, supported by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, Norfolk County Council, Norwich City Council, district councils, health services, charities and those representing businesses want to amplify the voice of Bea to encourage others to report to the police or other agencies and reach out for support.

Bea is a woman in her 20s, who was targeted by Tenias Mungwari, 47, after she had a night out with friends in Norwich. He drove around and tracked her down, before kidnapping her, taking her to his flat and sexually assaulting her while she was semi-conscious in October 2022. He was sentenced to 18 years at Norwich Crown Court where he was described as ‘predatory’ and a ‘danger to women’.

“My experience with the police was one of validation, support, and empowerment. Having someone who truly believes you is crucial for victims,” Bea said.

She added: “They understood the trauma I endured and the impact it had on me. If you have experienced rape or a serious sexual offence, I urge you to seek help and report it. The shame belongs to the perpetrator not the survivor." 

Detective Superintendent Pippa Hinds, who is also co-chair of the Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence Group, part of the Norfolk Safeguarding Partnership, said: “We want those who experience sexual violence to feel like they can report it to the police or other services and access help and support.

“As well as changing attitudes and behaviours to tackle this kind of violence, we also need to lift any stigma. An overview of sexual offences in 2022 found 7.9 million people were victims of sexual assaults, 1.9 million were victims of rape* but we know many still do not come forward or feel able to even talk about it.

“During this awareness week we are grateful to Bea for being brave enough to come forward and speak about her concerns and experiences and hope this gives other people hope that they will be taken seriously and get the help and support they need without being judged.

“This campaign is focused on all partners working together to help make change, address difficult issues and make a lasting impact by providing help for those who need it.”

We will be sharing snippets of an interview with Bea on our social media platforms under #ItsNotOk and #ShiftingtheShame >> https://vimeo.com/1053030800/d45a438dfb

Call police on 999 in an emergency or report a crime on 101. There are lots of other support organisations and services that can help. If you do not want to report to the police, you can self-refer direct to The Harbour Centre. You can have a medical and  the evidence can be retained up to two years to be used at a later date if you decide to refer to the police.

This is the latest in our work to raise issues around sexual violence. Norfolk Constabulary is also piloting Project Vigilant in the Norwich nighttime economy to target predatory behaviours, involving specially trained plain-clothes and uniformed officers.

Partners launched the Government’s Enough campaign which targets inappropriate and predatory behaviours and encourages everyone to call it out.