Principles for communication
high quality communications
We believe that by working to a set of principles, we and others can create high quality communications content and materials which can change lives and change attitudes through:
educating & informing
- Raising awareness of what healthy relationships are
- Raising awareness of the facts relating to sexual harm
- Raising awareness about the scale of the issue and why it exists
- Raising awareness of consent and why it matters
- Raise awareness of misogyny, how it can manifest itself and how it’s harmful
CONSTRUCTIVELY CHALLENGING
- Challenging why sexual harm exists in our community
- Challenging myths which exist about sexual harm
- Challenging stereotypes and why they exist
- Challenging damaging and harmful sexual attitudes, perceptions and language
- Challenging problems in ‘the system’ that are contributing to individuals not being able to receive justice or support for the offences and the harm they have experienced
SUPPORTING
- Giving individuals who have experienced sexual harm the right type of information that they may need, so that they can make their own informed choices
- Raising awareness of the type of help and services that are available, how to access them and how specifically they can help support individuals with their emotional and practical needs
- Giving hope by sharing information about what action individuals and agencies are taking to try and prevent sexual harm and ensure that those who experience it receive the help and support they need
- Sharing positive stories about ‘life after sexual harm’ to give hope to others
- Engaging with journalists and supporting them through the provision of information and key contacts to enable them to report stories
Our principles when communicating about sexual harm are:
1. Individuals have an identity, independent of the sexual harm they’ve endured.
2. Sexual harm is only ever caused by those who commit it.
3. The majority of those who experience sexual harm are women and girls, but all individuals, wherever they feature on the diverse spectrum of humanity, deserve to live without fear of harm.
4. All adults and children who have experienced sexual harm deserve equal access to help, support and justice.
5. Individuals who have experienced sexual harm need easily accessible and understandable information and options so that they can make their own choices moving forward.
6. Journalists need to be supported to report about sexual harm as a broad and complex issue.
7. Sexual harm is not an issue for one part of the public sector, it is a human rights issue that has consequences throughout the system.
8. Together we can prevent sexual harm and save lives.
