OUR AIM
to campaign & communicate effectively
We began this work at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, because we believed that within the public sector, we could do more to campaign and communicate effectively about sexual harm, and to support journalists to report the stories that need to be told.
Historically many campaigns and communications have focused on specific sexual offences such as rape, and have often been delivered by the police, but in a broader sense what this can do is pigeonhole what is an incredibly complex issue into just one part of the public sector (ie criminal justice).
life after the crime
To help end sexual harm we need to understand why it exists, how we can support those affected by it, and what we can do to prevent it.
For someone who has been affected by a sexual crime against them, that crime (or crimes) can be just the start of their experience. What is often less communicated about is ‘life after the crime’ and what it means to endure the harm generated by it.
We believe that any individual who has experienced harm through a sexual offence or offences, at any point in their lives (or who could in the future), not only needs but deserves for us to get our communications about this issue right.
understanding trauma
We appreciate that many organisations deliver communications and campaigns aimed at preventing sexual offences, and although there are examples of good practice, there are also examples of messages (and/or how they have been delivered) that have not been appropriate, and at worst they may have been harmful.
Our view is that an understanding of trauma can significantly help to better inform the way we communicate about sexual harm in an inclusive and respectful way. By doing so we believe that in the public sector, we can create a new benchmark for excellence in the way we communicate.
We created this approach to help individuals do just that.
When we do not get our communications right or if we do not communicate about sexual harm at all, we contribute to a system that prevents individuals from accessing help, support and in some cases justice, and that can have utterly devasting results.
Together, we can do better.
USING INSIGHT
Our aim through this website is to support public sector communications professionals to create and deliver communications and campaigns that make a genuine and positive difference to the lives of individuals who have experienced sexual offences, and to support journalists to report about this issue.
To do that we have created content based on insight given to us by individuals with lived experience of sexual harm, and those who work with them.
