Feminist Responses to Sexual Abuse: The Work of the Birmingham Rape Crisis Centre (From Victims of Crime: A New Deal?, P 60-65, 1988, Mike Maguire and John Pointing, eds. -- See NCJ-113954)

• NCJ Number: 113959
• Author(s): A T
• Date Published: 1988
• Length: 6 pages
• Sale Source: Open University Press
• Publication Type: Program/Project Description
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom

Annotation

The Birmingham Rape Crisis Centre (England) dealt with 1,700 rape cases in 1986, mostly through telephone counseling, although face-to-face counseling was undertaken at the request of victims in under 5 percent of the cases.

Abstract

Analysis of a sample of 100 calls about rape and sexual assault in 1986 showed that in 65 percent of the cases, the attack had occurred more than a month previously, and more than a year had elapsed in 45 percent of the cases. The assailant had been a stranger in 30 of the 100 cases, and 54 of the attacks had occurred in the victim's home. This pattern is different from the sexual assault cases referred by the police to VSS, where the majority of offenders are strangers to the victims. Demand for the service has increased, but funding continues to be inadequate. The center has only two full-time posts and relies primarily on a volunteer group of about 30 women to sustain the 24-hour line, a face-to-face counseling service, and the educational work. In 1986 center representatives gave over 150 talks and training sessions to schools, youth training schemes, colleges, medical staff, the police, and various community groups. Basic training consists of 12 weekly day-long sessions, of which counseling is an integral part. The center also holds inservice training on such topics as suicide, racism awareness, and AIDS counseling. 1 note.