A new photo campaign titled “Inside the Boys’ Club” aims to challenge the silence surrounding male victims of child sexual abuse. The project features portraits and seven short films in which four survivors speak publicly about the abuse they endured and the pressure that kept them quiet for decades.
The initiative is led by portrait photographer Sane Seven, creative director Dr Marius Janciauskas, and a third collaborator. The films focus on how cultural expectations of toughness shape disclosure, with the creators describing these expectations as the rules of British masculinity, summed up as man up, do not cry, and do not tell anyone.
Behavioural criminologist Alex Iszatt said: “Men grow in a culture that teaches them to keep anything emotional out of sight. In the playground, boys are pushed toward being tough and active, not reflective. They copy the characters they see on screen who sort everything out with action, not conversation. Because boys often pick up theory of mind slightly later, their empathy and emotional understanding can be slower to develop.”
Dr Naomi Murphy, a clinical and forensic psychologist, observed that silence is often rooted in manipulation by perpetrators. She said, “Shame is used to control victims. Perpetrators intentionally make children feel ashamed of what happened. They tell them the abuse has to be kept secret and threaten that if you tell you will be punished or sent away. There will be bad consequences if you speak up. They load the shame that belongs with them onto the child. If the abuse still feels like a shameful secret even now you are still being controlled.”
Iszatt added: “So when abuse happens, they do not have the language for it. They know something was wrong but they have no clear way to express it. Shame then sits on top of that because patriarchal society tells them they should have been in control even as children.”
It is estimated that more than 150,000 boys will be sexually abused in the UK next year. Research shows that men take around 20 years on average to disclose childhood sexual abuse. Sane Seven said, “Most men do not speak up, not for months or years, but for decades. It is scandalous that in a country that prides itself on protecting children, men have nowhere safe to go when the damage is done.”
Iszatt noted: “Silence becomes a habit and by adulthood many male survivors think speaking about it will be seen as weakness or a loss of control.”
Dr Murphy further highlighted how shame erodes connection and health, stating, “Living with shame runs counter to the human need to be seen and to belong. We cannot fully experience a sense of belonging if we are keeping big secrets about ourselves. Belonging is good for our physical and mental health. Shame and the shrinking that comes with it puts our physical and mental health under strain and is associated with anxiety, depression, C PTSD, suicidality, substance misuse and relationship breakdown.”
The campaign features former professional footballer Andy Woodward, whose decision to waive anonymity in 2016 exposed long-standing abuse in English football. Woodward revealed that he had been repeatedly abused as a boy by convicted coach Barry Bennell while training at Crewe Alexandra. His account prompted hundreds of other former players to come forward, revealing widespread historic abuse across clubs.
Also featured are author and boarding school survivor Tobi Tarquin, Catholic Church abuse survivor Rafael Viola, and Daniel, a former military serviceman who survived ritual abuse. Their accounts show how shame, fear of disbelief, and social expectations influence the way male survivors process trauma.
Studies show that male victims remain underrepresented in support services, even though thousands of boys experience sexual abuse each year. The NSPCC and the Centre for Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse highlight that many men do not seek help until long after the abuse has occurred, which increases the challenges they face when trying to access support.
The films explore how prolonged silence can worsen mental health problems, addiction, homelessness, and suicide risk. They also show how speaking out can begin to repair psychological harm. Iszatt explained: “Support matters because it gives them a space where they are allowed to use words they were never encouraged to build. It stops them carrying it alone and gives them a route out of years of pushing everything down.”
