Mike Subritzky is a team of one committed to helping heal the unknown number of male sexual assault survivors in Taranaki.
Subritzky, a trained counsellor with a background in chaplaincy, runs Male Survivors Taranaki which falls under the national body Male Survivors Aotearoa.
He says statistics show 1 in 6 men have been sexually abused but it’s hard to know exact statistics as for many men it’s their darkest secret, and they never come forward.
It’s a bit of a catch 22, the men won’t come forward when there’s no support, and they feel they don’t trust the system that’s in place, but we need them to come forward, so we know the impact.
Male Survivors Taranaki is complimentary to what Subritzky called the medical model.
It goes alongside things like ACC sensitive claims which connects victims with counselling and support.