What Kind of Peer Support Does Pandora's Aquarium Offer to Sexual Assault Survivors?

Pandora's Aquarium is the online peer support group run by Pandora's Project, a volunteer-staffed organization that has provided information and resources to survivors of rape and sexual abuse, and to their friends and family, since 1999. The Aquarium gives survivors a moderated space to connect with one another through a message board, a chat room, and blogs. Joining is free, and the community is moderated by a diverse group of survivors.

What the Peer Support Actually Looks Like

The site describes its forums as the core community area, with the support group built around three main channels:

• Message board (forums): The central place for ongoing discussion and connection among members.
• Chat room: A space for real-time conversation with other survivors.
• Blogs: A way for members to write and share their own experiences and recovery reflections.

Pandora's Project frames this connection as more than a convenience: it states that connecting with other rape and sexual abuse survivors is an important part of healing. The peer support model here is survivor-to-survivor — people who have been through similar experiences offering mutual understanding, rather than clinical treatment.

Who Moderates the Space

The community is described as safely moderated by a diverse group of survivors. That means moderation is handled by people with lived experience of sexual violence, which shapes the tone and safety of the discussions. The organization itself is staffed entirely by volunteers.

Who It's For

The support group is open to anyone who has been a victim of rape, sexual assault, or sexual abuse. Pandora's Project also addresses friends and family of survivors in its broader information and resource work, though the peer support group itself is centered on survivors.

What It Is Not

Pandora's Aquarium is peer support, not professional care. The site explicitly directs people who are in crisis or who need professional support to its crisis support and hotline resources. If you are looking for immediate help, those resources are the appropriate starting point rather than the forums or chat room.

How to Get Started

1. Go to pandys.org and browse the forums to get a sense of the community before participating.
2. Join the support group — the site states it is free to join.
3. Choose how you want to engage: reading and posting on the message board, joining the chat room, or writing in the blogs.

Because the community is moderated and centered on survivors, expect a space oriented toward mutual support and recovery rather than debate or advice-giving from professionals.