Wiltshire Police, the Police and Crime Commissioner and partners gathered at Force Headquarters in Devizes on 6 February to mark the start of a week-long national campaign to raise awareness of sexual abuse and sexual violence.
Each organisation involved plays a part in offering support to survivors of rape and sexual assault in the county; from reporting and investigating crimes to counselling and continuing support. As part of the event, representatives wrote a personal message in line with the national theme of ‘It’s Not OK’. These included:
- T/ Detective Superintendent Deb Smith: Head of Crime, Wiltshire Police
- Angus Macpherson: Police and Crime Commissioner for Wiltshire and Swindon
- Julia Gay: Supervisor, Horizon Victim and Witness Care
- Fran Lewis MBE: Executive Director, Splitz Support Service
- Jools James-Kempshall: Refuge and Resettlement Manager Swindon Women’s Aid.
T/ Det Supt Deb Smith said: “We take all reports of rape and sexual assaults very seriously. We investigate them thoroughly, provide support to the courageous people who report these crimes and signpost them to other support services.
“We have a close working relationship with the Sexual Abuse Referral Centre (SARC) where survivors of sexual assault can report what has happened to them in confidence even if they don’t want police involvement.
“This week is all about raising awareness of the issues around rape and sexual assault. There is a common misconception that a person cannot be raped or sexually assaulted by their husband, wife or partner. This is absolutely not true. If somebody says ‘NO’ to their partner because they do not wish to engage in sexual activity, and their partner carries on regardless, this is a sexual assault.
“We encourage anybody who has been sexually assaulted to report it to us so that our specially trained officers can investigate the offence and support them through what is a very traumatic and difficult time.”
Angus Macpherson, Police and Crime Commissioner for Wiltshire and Swindon, said: “I’m proud to be promoting Sexual Abuse and Sexual Violence Awareness Week because, as a society, we don’t talk enough about this troubling issue.
“I have chosen for this campaign to highlight my strongly-held view that it’s not OK to blame the victim. You might think that the days of blaming a young woman for being sexually assaulted because of what she was wearing are long gone.
“But a report last month by the Fawcett Society* showed that, in a survey, 38 per cent of men and 34 per cent of women said a woman was totally or partly to blame if she went out late at night wearing a short skirt, got drunk and was then the victim of a sexual assault. The figures are even higher among men aged 18 to 24, and both men and women over 65.
“It is utterly wrong to hold women responsible for the actions of their attacker. We need to consign the damning phrase ‘she asked for it’, and the stereotyping around it, to history.”
Throughout the week, Wiltshire Police will be using its social media channels to help raise awareness of the myths and issues that surround the topic of sexual abuse and sexual violence. Follow @wiltshirepolice on Twitter or subscribe to the Wiltshire Police facebook page.
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