Baby Reindeer causes huge spike of calls to male sexual abuse charity

Richard Gadd’s Baby Reindeer has not only become one of the most-watched series, but it has also led to more people calling into a charity that supports male sexual abuse survivors.

The Manchester-based charity We Are Survivors offers services to men who have been victims of sexual abuse, rape, and sexual exploitation, as well as catering to trans and non-binary people.

Since the release of Baby Reindeer in April, We Are Survivors saw an influx of 80% more first-time callers than ever before. According to The Independent, 53% of the people who called in said it was because of the Netflix series, and the charity saw 493 new visitors to its site.

We Are Survivors CEO and founder Duncan Craig OBE revealed he has never seen anything like it.

“Before, some people might’ve read newspaper interviews and maybe a month later picked up the phone,” Craig told The Independent. “But with Baby Reindeer, it’s been absolutely instantaneous. I’ve never in 15 years I’ve been in this field seen a response like it.”

Craig explained that the media frenzy around Baby Reindeer has helped many feel comfortable with coming forward and asking for help. He also praised Gadd’s “honesty” and ability to display the “grey areas” of what it means to be abused, particularly for male survivors.

The We Are Survivors CEO applauded Baby Reindeer for what it has been able to accomplish, and how it has changed the narrative on male abuse, saying “Part of reason I didn’t know it wasn’t okay was because where was my Baby Reindeer? What cultural reference did I have to say men and boys can be victims of sexual abuse?”

Baby Reindeer is available to stream on Netflix, and you can catch up on the latest regarding whether ‘stalker’ Fiona Harvey was convicted. You can also check out other series to stream this month.