This year marks 25 years since HAVOCA first began offering support, friendship and advice to adults affected by childhood abuse.
What started back in 2001 as a small voluntary website has grown into a worldwide community of survivors, supporters, volunteers and professionals — all connected by one shared belief:
Every Survivor has the right to become a Thriver.
From a small website to a global community
Over the past quarter century, HAVOCA has evolved from a simple online presence into a mature, trusted resource for adults living with the
impact of childhood abuse. We remain a voluntary, not‑for‑profit organisation, rooted in lived experience rather than corporate structures
or clinical services.
We have never claimed to be a counselling service or a crisis line. Instead, our focus has always been on something just as vital:
providing a safe, anonymous, supportive space where survivors can take their first steps, at their own pace, in their own way.
What we’ve built together
Across 25 years, HAVOCA has grown into a rich ecosystem of support:
- Information: Hundreds of pages exploring the impact of child abuse, the road to recovery, and practical tools for coping.
- Community: A moderated survivors’ forum where adults from around the world can share their stories and be heard.
- Signposting: Guidance to help survivors find therapists, counsellors and support groups that fit their needs.
- Collaboration: Partnerships with researchers and organisations seeking to better understand and respond to childhood trauma.
Overcoming child abuse is a very unique journey. There is no single process in place that is a generic recovery programme.
Every survivor’s path looks different. Some read quietly and never post. Some write their story for the first time. Some join the forum,
some seek therapy, some simply take comfort in knowing they are not alone. All of these journeys matter.
The heart of HAVOCA: survivors and volunteers
HAVOCA has always been powered by volunteers — many of them survivors themselves — who give their time to moderate the forum, respond to emails,
maintain the website and keep the ethos intact. Their work is often invisible, but its impact is profound.
Equally, every survivor who has visited HAVOCA has helped shape it. The courage to speak, the honesty of shared experiences, the willingness
to support others: these are the foundations on which the last 25 years have been built.
Looking ahead to the next 25 years
Reaching 25 years is not a finish line; it is a milestone. The need for safe, survivor‑focused spaces is as strong as ever. As we look ahead,
our commitment remains the same:
- To keep HAVOCA voluntary, independent and grounded in lived experience.
- To protect the safety, privacy and dignity of our members.
- To continue expanding and refining our resources for adults affected by childhood abuse.
- To honour the voices of survivors and ensure they remain at the centre of everything we do.
for the first time — thank you. You have helped build a space that has changed lives, offered hope and reminded people that
they are not alone.
Here’s to continuing that mission for the next 25 years.
Warm regards,
Jamie Harms
Trustee, HAVOCA.ORG