Survivors’ Network to mark 30 years of service

Survivors’ Network, the rape crisis centre for Sussex, marks thirty years of service on Wednesday, November 25 with a week of online content.

Started in 1990 as a service specifically for female survivors of childhood sexual abuse, the charity has grown to support survivors of all genders and ages across Sussex through counselling, advocacy, peer support and a helpline.

Each day of the week a new piece of celebratory content will be shared on their social media accounts and website, encouraging supporters to look back, to celebrate the now, and to look forward to the next 30 years of service.

On Monday 23, they present Look Back: Hear From One of our Founders where they speak with Kelle Kingsley, one of the founding members of Survivors’ Network, and share some images of the original Speak Out newsletter.
On Tuesday 24, they present Look Back: 30 Facts for 30 Years, which considers the legal and social changes in our understanding of sexual violence over the years.
On Wednesday 25, their birthday, they present Look Forward: Join Us to Say ‘I Believe In You’ to All Survivors on Our Birthday. This is their brand new social media campaign calling on everyone to stand up and say I Believe in You to survivors. A recent report from the Victims’ Commissioner confirmed that the fear of not being believed is the biggest deterrent to survivors reporting sexual violence in England and Wales, so Survivors’ Network is calling on their followers to mark their birthday by sharing messages of belief and support online.
On Thursday 26, they present Looking Forward, Looking Back: A Conversation on Race & Sexual Violence – a panel discussion between Marai Larasi, Shalini Nair and Sumanta Roy on feminism, survivor service provision and the importance of women of colour being included at every level of the conversation. The panel is free to attend as it will be airing on Facebook at 2pm.
On Friday 27, they present How to be Good in Bed: A Consent Collective Gameshow where staff members Katie and Julia are challenging a team from Edinburgh Rape Crisis and raising funds and awareness in the process. It will be aired at 7pm on the Consent Collective website.

Survivors’ Network is also holding a birthday appeal. Caitlin McCullough, fundraising manager, said, “With a second lockdown in place, the needs of survivors are more pressing than ever, and our waiting lists continue to grow. To put it simply, with increasingly difficult economic and social pressures, we are struggling to do our job – a job that shouldn’t have to be done in the first place. For as long as we’re needed, we want to be here for survivors, but we can’t do that without our community’s support.”

Local music promoter Attnde has responded to the call for community support with a SingForSurvivors campaign to raise awareness and funds for the service on Instagram. Entrants submit a cover of a positive song and share information about the charity – the winner will be chosen by Clare Martin OBE and Marina Arsenijevic, and announced along with their fundraising total on Friday, November 26.

Rape and sexual abuse can happen to anyone regardless of their age, gender, race, religion, culture or sexuality. If you have experienced sexual violence at any point in your life then you can contact Survivors’ Network on 01273 203380, via email on info@survivorsnetwork.org.uk or CLICK HERE for details of their services.