 Rape and sexual abuse is not something that most of us want to talk about. It's a difficult subject to discuss, and the experience of sexual abuse is something that many of us would rather not think about. However, it can affect anyone in society, and the stult reality is that most people in Wales will have friends, family members, or colleagues who have been affected by rape or sexual abuse, often without knowing it. Every five minutes a rape is committed in England and Wales, and every minute of every day another type of sexual offence is committed. The scale of the problem is far higher than most people know. However, it is clear that much more needs to be done to encourage victims to come forward and to provide them with the support they need. Many of us still hold onto outdated myths and stereotypes about who the victims and perpetrators of sexual violence are. In order to raise awareness of these serious issues and offer better help to the people who have been affected, we must talk about rape and sexual abuse more openly. We must dispel these myths, and those who work in our public service must have an appropriate level of understanding to offer effective help. Last year there were 31,621 reports of rape made to police in England and Wales, and a further 63,861 other sexual offences reported. More than a third of these offences were committed against children. These figures are alarmingly high and rising year on year. However, only 15% of sexual offences are ever reported to the police. Only a small percentage of victims of sexual violence ever report what's happened to them, and consequently the true number of offences and victims is likely to be far higher. So who do these issues affect? The short answer is they can affect anybody. When girls are more likely to be victims of sexual violence than men and boys, it's estimated that one in five women aged 16 to 59 have been affected by sexual violence. However, we should not forget that there are still a very high number of male victims. More than 12% of all rape victims are male. The number of male victims of childhood sexual abuse is high still. 40% of children under the age of 11 who were referred to new pathways for abuse issues are for boys. Why is it that so few people feel able to talk about their experience? One of the main barriers that victims of sexual violence face is that many people in society still see it as a taboo subject and avoid talking about it. Victims often experience feelings of shame, low self-esteem and misplaced guilt. Most victims, in fact more than 90% of them, also know the perpetrator of the rape or sexual abuse which they've suffered. This can stop them disclosing what has happened to them because of the impact it will have on themselves and others and because they fear that they will not be believed. The trauma experienced by victims of sexual violence can affect every aspect of their lives and cause huge difficulties as they struggle to cope with what's happened. Relationships, education, work prospects, finances and social activity are often all adversely affected, as is the victims' physical and mental well-being. Most of the everyday things that we take for granted such as going out, having friends and trusting people can present huge problems. Regardless of whether the sexual violence happened recently or many years ago it can continue to have a profound and distressing effect on people's lives. It is clear that more needs to be done to create an environment in Wales where victims of sexual violence feel confident that they will be believed and supported. So what can you do? Individual agencies should first look inwards to ensure that their own policies, practices and culture support a disclosure of sexual violence among their staff and clientele. Ensure you have people within the organisation who can offer immediate support and refer to specialist local services. The national training framework will provide training for public service staff throughout Wales in relation to sexual and domestic violence. Then look outwards to raise awareness of the issue of sexual violence and challenge the stereotypes and myths that still exist in society. Not only will this encourage more victims to come forward and seek help but it will prevent people from being re-victimised and also help to prevent others from becoming victims in the first place. We have a shared responsibility to help and support the victims of sexual violence in Wales. Whether we're sat in an office at work, enjoying a night out with friends or just in the supermarket doing our weekly shopping it's highly likely that at least one in every ten people we see will have been affected by some form of sexual violence. In the time it's taken you to watch this film someone in England or Wales has been raped and five others have been victims of other forms of sexual violence. For too long victims of sexual violence have suffered in silence and have been afraid to speak out. By taking the action set out here together we can change this and make Wales a safer place to live.