Raped women and girls must be more inclusive
Glasgow Rapecrisis on Facebook:
Really sad to report today that we have had to close down the #GlasgowClydeRapeCrisis waiting list for all new survivors coming to the project. We can still offer telephone helpline support on 08088 00 00 14 every day of the week from 11.00 am until 2.00 pm and Monday to Thursday from 5.30 pm until 7.30 pm and we can offer drop-in services to survivors on Wednesdays from 10.30 am until 3.00 pm and Wednesday evenings from 5.30 pm until 7.30 pm. Please check our website for more info about support. We are so sorry for having to make this decision but recent loss of funding for our work with young women and girls has had a significant impact on our overall service provision with current waiting times of up to 9 months for ongoing, face to face support. We will keep everyone posted about any changes to the service and, hopefully soon, when we get our waiting list open again and can offer shorter waiting times to survivors and their families.
A commenter asked what body or bodies had withdrawn funding. The reply:
Isabelle Kerr We have had funding from BBC Children in Need for six years. It funded amazing work with young women 13 – 18 years. This year we did not get re-funded because they felt we “didn’t do enough for male survivors”. It’s a women only service – always has been.
Women-only services are no longer allowed.
I… Ugh. The notion that someone who has been assaulted would want to be able to go someplace where they don’t have to deal with strangers carrying the same key trait as their assaulter should NOT be particularly controversial. Hell, if I, as a man, had been raped by a woman, I’d want a male-only support staff to talk to, and I wouldn’t want to be around women during that time. This is just inane.
So why didn’t they just suggest that someone open and staff a male-oriented rape crisis center? Seems a no-brainer. The sponsor could support that, too. But no…if you do not let men into women’s spaces, you must be punished. There should be no safe spaces for women. Ever. Anywhere.