Women and girls of all ages and backgrounds experience rape and sexual assault, and it can happen at any time in their lives. Because this is usually perpetrated by men they know, women and girls often choose not to report due to fear, shame or the feeling that they will be blamed for their assault, or not believed.
Sexual Violence can range from flashing, unsolicited pictures, groping, nudes being leaked, catcalling to rape and sexual assault, and all of these experiences can have a lasting effect. As women feel more able to speak out about their experiences, the demand for justice has increased, and over the past twenty years there have been a number of changes in legislation that reflect the seriousness of these crimes. Approximately 4% of women have reported experiencing serious sexual assault (Source: Scottish Crime and Justice Survey 2012/13: Sexual Victimisation & Stalking), however this number is expected to be higher. For more board Sexual Violence, at least One in five women has reported experiencing some form of sexual violence since the age of 16 (MoJ, Home Office, ONS, 2013).
However, it is not just young women who have experiences of rape or sexual assault. Babies, children, young women, and women into their seventies, eighties and nineties experience sexual violence. Our figures at Rape Crisis show that only about 40% of women survivors will ever make a report to the police.
Rape Crisis Grampian offers free and confidential emotional support to survivors of all genders and backgrounds, who have had any form of unwanted sexual experience. These include experiences where there was something done to you without your consent, made you feel uncomfortable or confused and any kind pressure. They can be verbal, emotional or physical in nature and can have occurred recently or many years ago. They can also be one off event or be ongoing. These experiences can be traumatic and can have an impact on both mind and body.
We accept referrals from Survivors directly or others on their behalf, with their authorisation i.e. family members, friends, partner agencies, GPs, Therapists, Social Workers etc. Call us on 01224 590932 or email. We recognise how difficult it can be to tell someone about what you’ve gone through. That’s why getting support isn’t about going into detail or going over exactly what happened if you don’t want to talk about it. It’s about getting the chance to talk through your feelings in a safe, non-judgmental space.
When you contact us, we will ask you a few questions so that we know what kind of support you would like and how to contact you. We write the information you give us onto a ‘Referral Form’.
You will then be invited to an initial appointment that helps us understand what your support needs are and how best we can meet them. A family member/carer/friend can accompany you to the centre and pick you up once your meeting is over if you would like but will not be able to come into your appointment with you. We unfortunately are unable to provide a waiting space for them. The initial appointment will last up to an hour, and afterwards, if you choose to have support at Rape Crisis Grampian, your name will be placed on our waiting list and a Support Practitioner will contact you when a space becomes available. Please make sure we have at least some way of getting in touch with you and that if you change your contact number to let us know.
We offer women only spaces (which are inclusive of trans women) in our centre on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, the rest of the week we offer appointments to people of all genders.
