New Statesman -

Rape's a real crime

Nicole Westmarland — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 12:16:30 GMT

Rape has been seen as a 'woman's problem' for far too long and we urgently need more men to publicly condemn sexual violence, writes Dr Nicole Westmarland

This week Rape Crisis shared a platform with the Met's Assistant Commissioner John Yates, Home Office Minister Vernon Coaker and Dr Alyson Jones of the Lancashire SAFE (Sexual Assault Forensic Examination) centre at a conference about improving police responses to rape.

The gathering could not have come at a better time. Although it was planned much earlier in the year, the regional conviction rates just [...]

The Rape Crisis crisis

Nicole Westmarland — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 10:10:30 GMT

Nine Rape Crisis Centres have closed in the last five years, 69% describe themselves as unsustainable. This is a crisis and the movement needs money before it crumbles, writes Dr Nicole Westmarland

�Rape Crisis� � what vision does that conjure up to you? Weeping, hysterical women with torn clothing and mascara running down their face?

In fact, Rape Crisis is a bit of a misnomer � most of the women and girls who contact us have lived with their experiences of rape for many years before they feel able to pick up the phone and tell anyone about it. And its [...]