Surely Mridul Wadhwa has to go now? Report into ERCC out.

https://grahamlinehan.substack.com/p/mridrul-wadha-sacro-and-the-14-million

Interesting, can you share more?

This isnt his first Prom, he has danced this dance before with his partner.
Very lucrative.

Does 'women only' include males who call.themselves women? In Sandy Brindley speak it does.

So I'm wondering if they are trying a fudge. Lamenting the lack of 'women' only spaces. Everyone assumes they mean single sex spaces, but ... they don't.

Well said.
This entire TWAW thing has been going on for too long. The games up. I’m so fed up of it. Women need to wake up to this shit

I mean this is it isnt it?
All across the board wherever we see this level of entitlement shamelessness and scam, it always comes hand in hand with incompetence and bullying.
Pink News is a perfect recent example.

So not a sausage about a certain person.

Slow handclap.

Still protecting him.

Letter from ERCC Board:

In May 2024 Rape Crisis Scotland commissioned an independent review of the National Service Standards (NSS) at ERCC. This is the first of its kind, as Rape Crisis Scotland implement a new strategy to ensure that NSS is being used by all Rape Crisis Scotland member organisations.

We welcomed this independent review as it provided an opportunity to ensure the service we provide is in line with the NSS and to recognise the hard work of our staff who are delivering support to survivors daily.

We recognise that we got things wrong. We are sorry. We are committed to putting things right and implementing the recommendations in the report.

In the past year we have delivered specialist support, counselling and advocacy to 1,149 survivors of sexual violence. We received 699 referrals and provided approximately 11,608 hours of support and contact to survivors across our services. As part of Rape Crisis Scotland’s national prevention project, we delivered in-person workshops in schools across Edinburgh, East and Midlothian and West Lothian.

The independent review outlined that we have delivered positive outcomes for survivors of sexual violence requiring support reporting they:

• felt safer and more in control of their lives and choices
• felt more able to cope with the impacts of sexual violence
• developed improved well-being and resilience

The independent review also identified areas for improvement; including a change of culture and the need to strengthen systems and procedures, to continue delivering excellence in supporting survivors of sexual violence or abuse.

Communication with Rape Crisis Scotland is happening on a daily basis to ensure that we are implementing the recommendations.

The current Board have immediately taken action on three key areas highlighted by RCS:

• We reinstated and clarified our women only spaces in February 2024
• All staff have up to date safeguarding training, and our safeguarding policy was reviewed in December 2023
• All staff have attended refresher training on data protection, and our data protection policy has just been reviewed

Work is underway on the wider recommendations and we want to not only meet the needs of the NSS but exceed them.

We strive to provide a safe accessible and inclusive service and are committed to continuously improving. We want to reassure all survivors who are currently accessing our services and anyone seeking support that we are still here for you, and you matter to us.

https://www.ercc.scot/september24-board-statement/

Isn't it funny how all this new virtual resourses which are trumpeted as giving everyone the opportunity to have a voice somehow end up with replicating IRL ie men's voices shout down women.

https://x.com/journalismseen/status/1834284163400118719?s=46&t=ZX_bLozRqm8etdGICMcAvA

BBC News clip via X.

Also reported on BBC1 6 o'clock news

It's just made the 6 o'clock news on R4, so hopefully they'll be organising some interviews for tomorrow morning. It's Justin on tomorrow.

The wiki page is locked to 'prevent vandalism'prevent anyone correcting it with the truth.

@GargoylesofBeelzebub - wont start another thread, for some reason to do with how your thread displayed on my screen the ERCC report bit didn't display(?!).

But I think anyone on FWR once they see ERCC and report will immediately know rather than what I saw as maybe being a general how did this ever happen thread.

And its good that the MSM are picking up on this.

Or lack of appropriate Sex.

In response to the OP question, no I dont think MW will have to go.

Employment law etc., may get in the way.

What should happen is that the funders, and which ever bit of Scottish government has responsibility, or the Scottish Charity commission should step in and take over the running of ERC with properly qualified rape crisis support professionals.

I expect that in time MW will graciously accept a large payout and go on to become a national martyr.

(If okay with OP will start a thread with the Report title in it to attract attention to that as it is so important not just about ERC, but direct those wanting to comment to this thread. ??)

That photo will and should follow her for the rest of her political career.

I'm hoping that the political career of every SNP MSP is going to be rather short.

https://forwomen.scot/12/09/2024/statement-on-edinburgh-rape-crisis-centre/

Statement from ForWomen Scotland

'We are saddened – if unsurprised – that Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre has been found wanting in so many respects. The Review Report lays bare the failings which have impacted the most vulnerable women. While Edinburgh RCC, undoubtedly, adopted a particularly extreme and egregious version of gender identity ideology and relentless pursued anyone who dared to question their policy of self-ID, similar issues are apparent in other centres in Scotland and in Rape Crisis Scotland itself.

Sandy Brindley has been repeatedly warned by women in the Rape Crisis Network, by survivors, and by women’s rights organisations that self-ID policies were reckless and cruel. Nevertheless, she insisted – including to a group of survivors – that men were women if they claimed a female identity, she vigorously defended Mridul Wadhwa who conducted the heresy hunt in ERCC, and she presided over the introduction of policies which included trans-identified men in women only services. In several Parliamentary appearances, she claimed that these policies did not create any problems in running rape crisis services. That has now been exposed for the lie it always was.

We believe that the problems are endemic and structural, and they cannot be resolved simply by rearranging the deckchairs at ERCC. As a matter of priority, Mridul Wadhwa must be removed from post, but those board members who presided over his tenure and defended him at Roz Adams’ tribunal must also go. We also believe that Sandy Brindley’s position is also now untenable. Fortunately, women in the Lothians have an alternative women-only service and we believe that Rape Crisis Scotland should, as a matter of urgency, confirm that Beira’s Place will be able to take on referrals. Beira’s Place should also be involved in restructuring both the local and national services. Only these measures will restore trust in this critical service. Too many women were betrayed and harmed – this must never happen again.'

Have only skim read report and statement from RCS.

But for any one saying this will help Sarah - sorry no.

The standards referred to are for those services that affiliate to either RCS or RCEW.

Survivors Network have never been part of that.

So we are back to the issue of funding authorities, whether local councils or trusts who presume to know better than those carrying out the work.

Now if we could get funders to adhere to the standards of the profession and enforced it on those they funded that would make a huge difference.

(This is equally true of women's refugees where local authority officers ie not even councillors, can put in a report and say women only is too expensive women escaping violence can make do with the local hostel for homeless people.)

But having maybe made it sound like I think there is sound professional practice in the (Scottish) federation, it is clear there isn't. Even without direct knowledge how can RCS pretend they hadn't been made aware via Scottish media who MW was.

Just to add, as this comes up over and over again, as the recent guidelines from the EHRC said it is "legal" to advertise a women only post as being trans inclusive(!!) but also "legal" to advertise a women only post as being only for biological women.

But the biggest part of this is that service users are always put first and are not manipulated (I like the man part of that word) into having to accept someone they dont want to talk to.

And that in advertising service provision it is explicit to any woman making contact what the service support options are.

Apart from the horrendous impact all of this has on women survivors what is really, really sad and depressing in knowing that fiminst beliefs let alone the politics of Women's Liberation that create the concept of Rape Crisis and Domestic Violence women only support had little or no impact on society today. And it is the loss of it / us having this impact that has allowed what the charity sector calls mission drift to happen. Women's importance being erased as usual.

Maybe we should ask Annalise “it does depend on the context” Dodds what version of “woman only” this service should be, since apparently no clarification is necessary.

A range of services can be provided but single sex female only should be mandatory and that is female only and absolutely no males with or without a shiny piece of paper.