Fighting stigma

Brook knows that stigma is a major contributing factor to health inequality, particularly when it comes to sexual health and mental health. Stigma can make vital information and discussion about everyday health issues taboo, generates shame and leads to a reluctance to ask for help or support. 

Brook will open up conversations about sexual health and mental health, removing shame and embarrassment, and normalising access to services as part of routine healthcare. We will work to overcome the silence, fear and prejudice that reinforces stigma, and to understand where our work to tackle it can have most impact. We will educate and equip professionals, parents and families with the skills and knowledge they need to challenge stigma and combat damaging misinformation, giving young people the opportunity to grow and learn in a world that accepts and celebrates them. 

Over recent years, we witnessed increasing attacks on sexual and reproductive rights that are both shaped by, and reinforce stigma. We will tirelessly defend the right to safe, confidential, accessible healthcare, regardless of age, gender or sexuality. We will be a unifying voice, working collaboratively with our partners and the wider sector to lead a positive vision for the nation’s sexual health and wellbeing.

We will fearlessly stand up and shout loudly about issues others may consider too risky or taboo. We will evidence the harm caused by stigma, sharing real stories to show how the lives of young people and other communities are affected. We will use our platform to speak with authority and confidence, driven always by evidence, research, data and the voice of service users. We will challenge damaging narratives and model an open, inclusive, kind and positive approach.