First national independent legal advice service for rape victims to be led by Centre for Women's Justice

[Imnobody4]

A very welcome development
https://www.centreforwomensjustice.org.uk/updates/centre-for-womens-justice-to-deliver-first-ever-national-independent-legal-advice-service-for-victim-survivors-of-rape-and-sexual-violencenbsp

Centre for Women’s Justice is excited to announce that it will be leading the delivery of a new national free Independent Legal Advice service for adult victim-survivors of rape and sexual assault. We will be supported by partners Rape Crisis England and Wales and Victim Support.

The service will provide specialist, independent legal advice to victim-survivors about their rights within the criminal justice process. It will support them in relation to issues such as excessive personal data requests, Victim’s Right to Review and police investigations that fall below expected standards. The scheme is designed to help those who decide to report to the police understand their options, make informed decisions, and access clear, wholly independent legal advice at key stages of the process. While we anticipate that the overwhelming majority of service users will be women, the service will also be available to male survivors.

That sounds fantastic and very much needed.

Thanks for the link. That does indeed sound great.

Well this is good news!

police investigations that fall below expected standards

Interesting. They've got their work cut out here.

Very welcome initiative an a great charity

However they are stepping outside the objectives of their charity.

legally speaking they can not deal with male victims.

Presumably any organisation that centres women can set up a separate programme to support survivors of rape / sexual assault for people of both sexes?

That should be supported not criticised.

Having looked at bit closer it appears that this was a bid for a tender and other partners will deal with the males.

It's not criticism to note the rules on charitable objectives. There are very strict limits on what a charity can do because donors have given funds for a specific purpose.

I'm an donor and the issue in question could perhaps be "noted" privately whilst the rest of us concentrate on celebrating this wonderful news

They are taking part in the Big Give, as are Nia, where donations are matched. It’s on until noon next Tuesday, I’m not sure that we’re allowed to link even a tweet but you can find their links on their respective twitter pages and presumably their Facebook pages and websites etc

As CWJ’s mission is, and remains, to hold the state accountable around VAWG, we have traditionally not applied for government funding, except indirectly through the legal aid scheme. We carefully considered the implications of this new departure, but are clear that we can deliver the Independent Legal Advice service as a distinct project that will not compromise our wider mission, independence, legal judgment or willingness to hold the state to account. We will continue to do so, including through strategic litigation, policy, advice and campaigning work.

Thank you.
While I understand that anyone can question initiatives from any group, given some of the vile threads and posts recently on here from grim posters using rape victims as an excuse to berate women, it may be I'm a bit sensitive to challenges like this.
Edited to clarify I'm not talking about anyone on this thread raising issues.

This is really good news

I have come back after thinking about the issue I highlighted, as in acting outside the objectives of a charity for women.

my position is that we can not vetch and complain about the WI the girl guides, and Edinburgh Rape crisis services, wandering outside their brief unlawfully so.

and then on the other hand say oh well on this occasion it is okay.

it is not.

charities need to stand up to government and local authorities, when they look to the primarily women’s sector providers of services (where there is a lack of male specific services) to fill the gap.

or as I see it two different groups experience male violence from very different perspectives.

i speak as a person who was in a leadership role in the VAWG sector for many years.

This is a separate legal advice sevice for individual rape victims the majority of whom are women. In what way is including men a detriment to women?
It isn't strictly speaking part of the charoty but a stand alone project. I really don't get your concerns.

@Imnobody4 think my post you quote sufficiently explains my concern.

i have e mailed them.

RCEW, Centre for Women's Justice and Victim Support to deliver the first national Independent Legal Advice Service for survivors of sexual violence and abuse.

We are delighted to announce that Rape Crisis England & Wales (RCEW) will be working in partnership with Centre for Women's Justice and Victim Support to deliver the first ever national Independent Legal Advice (ILA) service for adult survivors of sexual violence and abuse.

About the ILA service

The service, funded by the Ministry of Justice, will provide specialist, independent legal advice to survivors about their rights within the criminal justice process. Legal advisors will support on issues such as excessive personal data requests, Victim’s Right to Review and police investigations that fall below expected standards.

The service will be modelled on the existing ILA model currently delivered in London by WGN with CWJ, who are the lead project partner. RCEW and Victim Support will work with CWJ as partners to support the mobilisation and delivery of the new national scheme.
Who the service is for

The scheme is designed to support those who decide to report to the police, to understand their options, make informed decisions, and access clear, wholly independent legal advice at key stages of the criminal justice process.

The first national service of its kind will be available to survivors across England and Wales who are aged 18+ and have reported the offence of rape or assault by penetration (sections 1 and 2 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003) to the police.

Continues at https://rapecrisis.org.uk/news/launch-of-national-independent-legal-advice-service-for-survivors-of-sexual-violence-and-abuse/

As the actual service will be provided by WGN who are (I think!) a single sex service, I imagine Victim Support will work with men (just a guess) and CWJ provide the legal advice. (?)

I think that as their aims are about taking on "strategic" cases they could argue that in providing legal support to male rape victims, if it illustrates the failure of legal support when reporting to the police.

Not saying it is right. But CWJ is not a frontline service and take on strategic cases.

Unlike say Southall Black Sisters that is both a frontline single sex service but also campaigns on issues that aren't exclusively about women.

It's not about the funding coming from government. It's about whether their charitable objectives are specifically to support women, not men; and whether funding intended for women is therefore being diverted to men (which is where the detriment lies).

If the answer to these questions is no, then great. If it's yes that doesn't mean the project is bad - it sounds an admirable and much needed service - but we should still be able to ask questions about the way it is being done.

Women fought hard for rape crisis services. We know women's access to them has been eroded elsewhere. It's right to be vigilant.

Women fought hard for rape crisis services. We know women's access to them has been eroded elsewhere. It's right to be vigilant.

On one level I agree. But this is not about front line services. This is providing legal advice to victims of rape trying to get their case to court, which in most instances rape victims cat afford.

So if this means women victims can access the funded legal advice from CFJ through WGN, and males through Victim support, it is a method.

I suspect the CWJ is basically saying, government money comes with rules, but in this instance giving legal advice indirectly through Victim Support doesn't compromise their aims and objectives.

Too late to read now, but need to understand what for CWJ is strategically important for their work, setting legal presidents. That is the main part of their work.

And through the 2 front line services, rape victims get legal advice they might not otherwise have got.

Just indicates the hoop's women's right have to jump through

I don’t think CWJ are the right people to provide legal advice, albeit indirectly, to male rape victims. Although the law is technically the same as for female victims, CWJ’s practical expertise with the law relates to women not men.

Quite.

It also reflects modern thinking which is weighted against women, that anything providing something solely for women is actually not ok, and that providing to both sexes (even when it's a women's charity) makes them 'better'.

Because at the bottom of it is the usual women are not enough/ should never be a focus/ unless it's doing something useful to men it's naughty and unjustified.

It doesn't matter whether it's front line or not. Money isn't infinite, lawyers' time isn't infinite. If £100 pounds, or a 6-minute block of time, is spent on a man, that's time and money not available for a woman.

Which isn't in itself a bad thing - men need help too - but if that money has been raised specifically for women then it should be spent on women.

I agree .Men who have experienced sexual abuse - whether as adults or, as is more common I think, as children - deserve care and support.

I just fail to see why it has to be provided by women, in centres organised by and for women.
Of course the helplines should be open to men, where they can be referred on to appropriate men's support services, but not the services themselves.

Perhaps men's rights groups could pay more attention to practical things like setting up men's crisis centres and refuges, etc., which would not only leave much-needed spaces for women, but would also provide services specifically tailored for male survivors.