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News | 11 November 2020

Survivors’ Network is turning 30

Celebrate with us!

We are delighted to share that on 25th November, Survivors’ Network will have been running for thirty years! Thirty years of supporting survivors, believing survivors, and advocating for a world that is kinder for all of us.

Anniversaries are a great opportunity to look back at what we’ve learnt, to look at how we’re doing now, and to look forward to the next thirty years. We hope you’ll join us for our birthday week as we celebrate how far we’ve come, and consider how much further there is to go…

Here’s what we’ve got planned!

Monday 23rd: Look back: Hear from one of our founders
We had the privilege of speaking with Kelle Kingsley, one of the founding members of Survivors’ Network, about the first few years of the organisation. Keep an eye out on the 23rd for our write up of the chat, featuring some extracts from the original Speak Out Newsletter!

Tuesday 24th: Look back: 30 Facts for 30 Years
Let’s look at where we’ve come from – on the 24th we will be sharing 30 facts with you all about the legal and social changes in our understanding of sexual violence over the years.

Wednesday 25th: Look forward: Join us to say “I believe in you” to all survivors on our birthday
On our birthday, we will be launching a social media campaign calling on everyone to stand up and say “I believe in you” to survivors. A recent report from the Victims’ Commissioner echoed what we hear on a regular basis – that the fear of not being believed is the biggest deterrent to survivors reporting sexual violence in England & Wales. So we are asking supporters to share a post on the 25th November to help raise awareness of the importance of believing survivors, and encouraging people to donate to our vital service. Keep an eye on our social media to find out more…

Thursday 26th: Looking Forward, Looking Back: A Conversation on Race & Sexual Violence
We’re particularly excited about this one. The inspiring Marai Larasi, Shalini Nair and Sumanta Roy are joining our CEO Jay Breslaw to discuss feminism, survivor service provision and the importance of women of colour being included at every level of the conversation. Airing on Facebook on the 26th at 2pm – join us for the premiere to be part of the conversation too! Sign up for a reminder & to watch here, and learn more about the speakers here.

Friday 27th: ‘How to be Good in Bed’, a Consent Collective gameshow

Our staff members Katie and Julia are participating in this fab event, challenging a team from Edinburgh Rape Crisis and raising funds and awareness in the process! Listen live on Friday at 7pm, here.

 

Thank you for being a part of this journey with us over the years. Your support for organisations like ours has been a vital part of our journey, and while we continue to work towards a world where our work isn’t necessary, we should all be incredibly proud of what we have achieved. We hope you’ll join us for our celebrations!

Will you help us to be here for the next thirty years?

Last year, we supported 1,342 people aged between two months and 82 years old and delivered training to over 200 people. Whilst the stigma of reporting sexual violence may appear to be lifting – in Sussex referrals to the police have doubled in the last four years, with Sussex Police currently receiving approximately five reports of rape per day – referrals to our services also continue to rise, with our Counselling waiting list now over two years long.

With a second lockdown starting, 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.

We believe survivors. We work to change the culture within Britain. We have worked to help thousands of survivors in the last thirty years, and we want to be here for the survivors of the next thirty, to create a world where survivors are believed and where sexual violence is not tolerated – will you help us?

We are fundraising throughout November to mark our 30th anniversary – you can get involved by: