Suffolk Rape Crisis says they've seen a continuous rise in cases since the pandemic
Last updated 25th Nov 2023
Suffolk Rape Crisis says they've seen a continuous rise in cases since the pandemic and are calling for a shift in accountability away from the victims to the perpetrators.
Today marks the start of 16 days of action to raise awareness of the violence, abuse and harassment that disproportionately affects women and girls.
We spoke to Tasha Cobb, the outreach service manager of Suffolk Rape Crisis she told us people are becoming more aware and so people are starting to question things.
She believes 100% of women have experienced some form of sexual violence "whether that be your bra, being pinged at school or being groped on a night out, that is all sexual violence."
More open conversation is needed
As the amount of referrals increasing Tasha believes conversations around boundaries and consent need to be had from a young age.
"Talking to children and telling them to give Granddad a kiss goodbye when they don't want to, tells them that actually, you don't have to respect your own boundaries regardless of whether you want to or not."
She wants people to understand it's their body and their choice so that the lines are clear when it comes to consent and boundaries.
She also wants people to understand what consent means, as they have found many people don't fully understand what it includes.
Suffolk Rape Crisis is encouraging everyone to speak more openly and "normalise these conversations" and not be "scared of the word rape. It's it's a horrible thing. It does happen, but we need to talk about these things.
"We have to be having these difficult conversations, otherwise things are not gonna change."
What Support they Provide
We asked Lauren Bantock Outreach worker for Suffolk Rape Crisis what kind of help they provide to those who use their service. She told us there are 3 main aspects to what they do.
Joining the Outreach Service: They Provide practical needs-led support to help people with their finances, housing and other things that are similar.
Counselling: They offer 25 free counselling sessions with trauma-informed councillors so they can access that, and "there's no obligation to talk about the sexual violence, they can just have a space to work all the goals that they want to work on."
Empowerment Group: A**** group focused on healing after sexual violence. This has more focus on "the consent and boundaries...and it's more about understanding what they've been through- the impacts on how they can manage that." They look at trauma responses and coping mechanisms. As well as providing an opportunity for them to speak to other survivors.