MaleSurvivor: National Organization Against Male Sexual Victimization

Notes from the nonprofit

MaleSurvivor's roots go back to October of 1988 when the first ever professional conference on Male Sexual Victimization was held in Minneapolis, MN. This ground­breaking conference, organized by a few dedicated mental health providers, brought together professionals who wanted to better understand and treat adult male survivors of childhood sexual abuse. At that time, only limited information had been published in the professional literature on male victimization, and few if any professionals had training on how to work with male victims. It was clear to those present that the conference was a necessary and valuable resource, where professionals could share practical information and ask questions. And it was a safe place for some to acknowledge their own sexual victimization.

The energy generated by the first conference helped fuel the production of the second conference a year later in Atlanta that brought together over 450 professionals ­ many pioneer writers, researchers and practitioners in the area of male sexual victimization. In November of 1994 a core group of Individuals who had either attended or organized many of the previous conferences decided to incorporate as a non­profit organization. These same individuals became the first Board of Directors of The National Organization on Male Sexual Victimization (NOMSV).

Since then NOMSV (now MaleSurvivor) the organization has continued to improve the resources and support available to male survivors of all forms of sexual abuse and their allies in healing in the US and around the globe. We are a community built upon a unique foundation of respect and mutual partnership between survivors themselves and the professionals who work with them. This has enabled MaleSurvivor to create resources and partnerships unparalleled in their ability to provide life changing support to survivors and their loved ones. MaleSurvivor began offering Weekends of Recovery in 2001, with just one weekend. Over the course of the past 14 years, in response to the significant need and demand, MaleSurvivor has expanded the program and has held over 60 Recovery retreats across North America, and have helped over 1000 people, some of whom traveling from overseas to attend these one of a kind retreats.

Today. hundreds of thousands of visitors from over 190 countries visit www.malesurvivor.org. We have expanded our social media presence on Facebook and Twitter to expand our outreach to even more people. MaleSurvivor staff also travel extensively to provide support and training across a wide range of disciplines to help ensure that all survivors of sexual violence have access to trained, compassionate, and effective support.