Rachael Reign
Nominee Profile
Location: London
Rachael Reign is the founder of Surviving Universal UK, the UK’s only survivor-led organisation addressing spiritual and cultic abuse, with a specialist focus on Black communities.
Her work is centred on making faith and religious spaces safer. Rachael recognises that faith plays an important role in many people’s lives, and she is committed to ensuring that individuals can practise their religion freely, without fear of control, exploitation, or abuse. She does not challenge faith itself, but works to ensure that it is never used as a cover for harm.
As a survivor of an eight-year experience within a high-control religious group, Rachael understands how difficult it can be to recognise abuse when it is presented as faith. She has transformed that experience into purpose, using her voice and leadership to protect others, promote accountability, and strengthen safeguarding across faith settings.
Rachael is recognised as a leading voice in the UK on spiritual and cultic abuse, helping to drive the national conversation on an issue that has long been overlooked. Her work has contributed to public awareness through national and international media, including BBC, BBC Panorama, The Guardian, Metro and Sky News, bringing visibility to abuse within high-control religious environments and encouraging more informed responses.
A key part of her work focuses on Black communities, where spiritual abuse is often misunderstood or overlooked. Too often, harmful practices are dismissed as culture or religion, leaving individuals without proper protection. Rachael works to change this by ensuring that safeguarding is both effective and culturally informed, so that people are protected without their identity being misunderstood or dismissed.
Through Surviving Universal UK, she has supported survivors, delivered specialist training, and worked with safeguarding teams, police, and decision-makers to improve how spiritual abuse is recognised and addressed across the UK.
Despite navigating personal challenges, including becoming a solo mum, Rachael chose to step forward and address a clear and unmet need. She has carved out a space that was previously unrecognised, building a platform that is now shaping how this issue is understood nationally.
Rachael serves as a dedicated Scout leader, inspiring and supporting young people in safe and structured environments. She leads by example, showing that lived experience can be used to protect others, drive change, and create safer futures for the next generation.
Alongside this, she is completing her law degree to strengthen her contribution to safeguarding and policy development, with a focus on ensuring that coercive control is properly recognised beyond domestic settings.
Her work is driven by a clear belief: that everyone has the right to practise their faith safely, and that accountability within religious spaces is not persecution, but protection.
Her work is centred on making faith and religious spaces safer. Rachael recognises that faith plays an important role in many people’s lives, and she is committed to ensuring that individuals can practise their religion freely, without fear of control, exploitation, or abuse. She does not challenge faith itself, but works to ensure that it is never used as a cover for harm.
As a survivor of an eight-year experience within a high-control religious group, Rachael understands how difficult it can be to recognise abuse when it is presented as faith. She has transformed that experience into purpose, using her voice and leadership to protect others, promote accountability, and strengthen safeguarding across faith settings.
Rachael is recognised as a leading voice in the UK on spiritual and cultic abuse, helping to drive the national conversation on an issue that has long been overlooked. Her work has contributed to public awareness through national and international media, including BBC, BBC Panorama, The Guardian, Metro and Sky News, bringing visibility to abuse within high-control religious environments and encouraging more informed responses.
A key part of her work focuses on Black communities, where spiritual abuse is often misunderstood or overlooked. Too often, harmful practices are dismissed as culture or religion, leaving individuals without proper protection. Rachael works to change this by ensuring that safeguarding is both effective and culturally informed, so that people are protected without their identity being misunderstood or dismissed.
Through Surviving Universal UK, she has supported survivors, delivered specialist training, and worked with safeguarding teams, police, and decision-makers to improve how spiritual abuse is recognised and addressed across the UK.
Despite navigating personal challenges, including becoming a solo mum, Rachael chose to step forward and address a clear and unmet need. She has carved out a space that was previously unrecognised, building a platform that is now shaping how this issue is understood nationally.
Rachael serves as a dedicated Scout leader, inspiring and supporting young people in safe and structured environments. She leads by example, showing that lived experience can be used to protect others, drive change, and create safer futures for the next generation.
Alongside this, she is completing her law degree to strengthen her contribution to safeguarding and policy development, with a focus on ensuring that coercive control is properly recognised beyond domestic settings.
Her work is driven by a clear belief: that everyone has the right to practise their faith safely, and that accountability within religious spaces is not persecution, but protection.