"I asked for help... they put it down to teenage hormones": Young survivors of Manchester Arena attack reveal lack of professional support
22.05.2023 - 09:39
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Almost a third of children and young people affected by the Manchester Arena terrorist bombing said they haven't received any professional support since the attack, according to the findings of a survey published today.
As Manchester and the world reflects and remembers on the sixth anniversary of the atrocity today, a report paints a bleak picture of how those who were caught up in the bombing have received help.
Youngsters were urged to share their experiences of what support they received in the aftermath as part of a ground-breaking project launched last year titled 'Bee The Difference' - a collaboration between nine young survivors from the 2017 attack, the National Emergencies Trust and researchers from Lancaster University.
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In total, 236 young people - aged under 18 at the time of the attack - participated in a survey which compiled quantitative and qualitative information.
They included those impacted by what happened to a loved one or to a friend, as well as those who were present at the Arena at the time. Around 90 per cent of those who took part were at the Arena, or in the vicinity, when the attack occurred on May 22, 2017.
The collaboration said the findings showed three quarters - 75 per cent - of children and young people affected were psychologically injured by what happened to them, but more than one in four - 29 per cent - have never received any professional support in the six years since. Four in ten - 40 per cent - of them said nothing was ever offered to them.
The report reveals that while 93 per cent of young survivors felt they needed support in the aftermath of the attack, 70 per cent of them received no professional help