Sexual Violence & Rape Crisis
Constance McCullagh, author of Funny Peculiar - a memoir of surviving child sexual abuse - and Tania Pouwhare of the Women's Resource Centre talk to newstatesman.com editor Ben Davies about the importance of Rape Crisis and issues around sexual violence
In Sexual Violence & Rape Crisis
Helping Elisabeth Fritzl
- By Anne Carpenter
- 30 April 2008
Top psychologist Anne Carpenter - a specialist in helping adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse - explains the sort of issues faced by Austrian cellar captive Elisabeth Fritzl
Raped and abandoned
- By Martin Brookes
- 23 April 2008
Try to get help when you've been raped in England and Wales and you could be waiting for days, even months. Rape Crisis has proved to be life saving many times over so why not fund it properly?
Making the Grade? Not yet...
- By Janet Veitch
- 01 April 2008
Janet Veitch says that with a score of 2 out of 10, the Government needs to start taking real action to make the grade for addressing violence against women.
Rape should top the agenda
- By Clarissa Bottesini
- 27 March 2008
The Fawcett Society keeps the pressure on government and demands the Home Office takes tougher action on rape.
An undeclared war on women
- By Trevor Phillips
- 24 March 2008
Alarming levels of violence against women continue to undermine real progress towards gender equality
Long-awaited emergency intervention
- By Joyce Gould
- 20 March 2008
Baroness Joyce Gould discusses the impact the long-awaited emergency intervention funding will have upon Rape Crisis Centres and women's awareness in general.
Protection as well as support
- By Barbara Follett
- 20 March 2008
Stronger deterrents - such as longer sentences and better conviction rates - are needed to protect women from rape
Money is not enough
- By Vivienne Hayes
- 19 March 2008
Support services for victims of sexual violence need an urgent injection of political will as well as cash
The campaign goes on
- By Simon Hooper
- 19 March 2008
£1 million in government funding is a small but significant victory for Rape Crisis
A welcome move but more funding needed
- 19 March 2008
Reactions to the government's announcement of £1 million in emergency funding towards Rape Crisis following the group's campaign in conjunction with newstatesman.com
The number of Rape Crisis-affiliated centres in England and Wales has nearly halved from 68 to 38 since 1984. We believe this is a failure of successive governments and in the coming weeks we will be mounting a campaign for proper funding for this vital service.
Sexual violence is a blight - the British Crime Survey suggests there are more than 300,000 rapes and serious sexual assaults each year. Most are not reported. One in four women have experience rape or attempted rape. One in seven women have been coerced into sex. Yet conviction rates have plummeted from 33% in the 1970s to around 5% now. This brings shame on us all. Rape Crisis have provided help for countless victims of sexual violence many of whom only come forward years after being attacked. As we will demonstrate here in the coming days, this is vital support and it needs proper funding. The Conservatives and Lib Dems are backing our campaign as are a number of key organisations such as End Violence Against Women and the Fawcett Society.
In the coming days we will publish articles on sexual violence from a number of contributors including Bea Campbell, Theresa May, Trevor Phillips, Professor Liz Kelly, Prof. Joanna Bourke and many more. You can help too by adding your name to this Downing Street petition you could also writing to your MP?
Ben Davies
Editor, newstatesman.com
Also in Sexual Violence & Rape Crisis
Emergency funding: an important step toward change
- By Joanna Bourke
- 19 March 2008
Joanna Bourke describes her relief that Harriet Harman, Minister for Women has announced £1 million funding for Rape Crisis centres. She says that Harman's step is important but it must simply be the beginning.
Victory for Rape Crisis campaign
- 19 March 2008
The government says it will provide £1 million in emergency funds for Rape Crisis's work supporting the victims of sexual violence following the group's campaign in conjunction with newstatesman.com
The Rape Crisis crisis
- By Nicole Westmarland
- 18 March 2008
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
Scotland leads the way
- By Margaret Curran
- 18 March 2008
Scottish Labour politician Margaret Curran on how she ensured that Rape Crisis north of the border got proper funding
What about rape victims?
- By Katherine Rake
- 17 March 2008
We want to see all political parties making the greater commitment of ringfencing proper funding for a network of rape crisis services across the country, writes Fawcett's Katherine Rake
Raped by person known
- By Davina James-Hanman
- 17 March 2008
Partner rape is an extremely prevalent form of sexual violence and can be particularly devastating
Men can stop rape
- By Pat McGann and Steve Glaude
- 13 March 2008
The US organisation that aims to mobilise men to stop violence against women
Rape the forgotten issue
- By Liz Kelly
- 12 March 2008
Despite the fact sexual violence affects one in four women the issue has all but disappeared from the political radar
Why I'm backing Rape Crisis
- By Theresa May
- 11 March 2008
Conservative politician and shadow minister for women Theresa May explains why she thinks Rape Crisis centres are vital
Rape myths past and present
- By Joanna Bourke
- 10 March 2008
Popular prejudices estimate about half rape victims are lying, but research shows just 3% of rape allegations are false - yet another myth about sexual violence
How Rape Crisis helped me
- By Constance McCullagh
- 10 March 2008
How one survivor of sexual abuse turned to Rape Crisis, how they helped her and how we all owe them a debt
Why this silence over rape?
- By Beatrix Campbell
- 10 March 2008
It's not the law on rape, it's the culture from the police canteens, to the courts, juries, the pubs and kitchens. And why the eerie silence from ministers?
