Meanings of anti-sexual assault activism among adults who underwent child sexual abuse: "I survived by knowing that I was going to act".

Background: Despite the acknowledged importance of advocacy among individuals who experienced violence, there is limited scholarly exploration of how adult individuals who experienced child sexual abuse (CSA) perceive and engage in anti-sexual assault activism.

Objective: This study, conducted in Israel by the Israeli Public Inquiry on CSA, explores how adult activists, who are also CSA survivors, perceive anti-sexual assault activism, the meanings they attribute to their involvement, and how their childhood trauma connects to their activism.

Methods: The study employed semi-structured interviews with 14 individuals who experienced CSA, predominantly from the Jewish community. The interviews were conducted in 2022, and the study utilized an inductive thematic analysis approach.

Results: The qualitative analysis identified four main themes: 1) the definition of anti-sexual assault activism, 2) the goals of anti-sexual assault activism, 3) the meanings of anti-sexual assault activism, and 4) the inside-outside process of personal flourishing.

Conclusions: This study highlights how activism can transform the lives of CSA survivors by empowering them, challenging injustice, and advocating for systemic change. It advances understanding by emphasizing activism's dual role of personal healing and societal impact. The findings suggest that policies should integrate activism into therapeutic practices, provide platforms for survivors' voices, and promote community-building to support CSA survivors and address systemic shortcomings.