Safer backs idea for Sexual Assault Referral Centre

Recognising that this is ‘not always a popular view’ with some people, the charity Safer said it is sadly a true fact and one that the whole community needs to work together to understand properly and look at effective ways to reduce sexual violence.

‘This does not mean that all men are abusive,’ chair of Safer Fiona Naftel and frontline services manager & independent domestic violence advisor Naomi Wood said in a joint statement.

‘It is unfortunate that these two very different messages seem to have been confused of late.’

Clarifying, they said it does not mean that men do not suffer the same types of abuse.

‘We know they do, but we also know that the prevalence and degree of significant harm is less. Unfortunately the number of domestic-related homicides paints a clear picture.’

Saddened at the death of Sarah Everard, they recognised that the campaign that has followed on from her death has been about women and girls’ safety primarily on the streets.

‘Of course it is right that this has been brought to the forefront and raised an ongoing and long-standing issue that no woman should have to feel unsafe, be abused or attacked in anyway, but we also need to remember that for very many more women their homes are even less safe.’

The fact remains that the majority of violent and sexual offences committed against women are perpetrated by someone they know and, more often than not, by someone they are, or have been, in an intimate relationship with. This remains the biggest cause of significant harm and death to women.

‘While there continues to be these types of offences committed, there will continue to be a need for us as a society to be reactive,’ they said.

‘As such it is so important that there is the support and services available for any person who has experienced these types of incidents and that these services form part of the island’s strategic planning so that they are available and importantly, remain sustainable.’

Negativity around the reporting of these offences will only ever reduce the numbers of victims who feel able to come forward and report these crimes, serving to continue to protect those that commit the offences.

The community, government and relevant services working together to improve processes for victims when offences are committed, tackle the offenders of these crimes and hold them alone to account has to be the way forward, they urged.

Safer understands that reporting to the police in the first instance, or at all, is not going to be an option for many victims and believes it should not be their only option.

This is why they whole-heartedly support the need for a Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) locally.

‘The need for an independent unit where victims can go and get the support they need, have evidenced gathered and then have time to make informed decisions is a necessity that the community is currently lacking.’

Recent reports in the Guernsey Press of islanders sharing their experience has helped demonstrate this.

Ms Naftel and Ms Wood said the men and women need to stand together, side-by-side, to show those that commit these offences or types of behaviours that they will not be tolerated, that they will be called out and held to account.

n Referrals to Safer’s service between October and December 2020 saw 23% of clients disclose some form of sexual abuse.

This compares to a figure of 20% nationally over the same period, showing that local statistics relating to these offences is comparable to the UK and certainly is not something that is not a local issue.

Sexual assault in Guernsey Pages 14 & 15