Sexual assault video helps young people speak out

The video aims to breakdown some of the negative perceptions around seeking help for sexual assault and provides an insight into what a young person can expect if they choose to make an appointment at a local SARC – a place that offers a range of immediate and long-term support to victims.

Anna Fielding, Head of Editorial at YouthNet, said: "Sexual assault is a very frightening subject and a can often leave a young person feeling bereft and unsure where to turn.

"Through creating this video and providing detailed information on TheSite.org, we hope we're able to help make the process of talking about sexual assault less daunting and show that there are safe and reliable places to go for support, so that young people have the confidence to come forward."

 'Visiting a Sexual Assault Referral Centre' is just one of 54 videos hosted in the 'Audio and Video' section of TheSite.org which provides straight-talking, anonymous information and advice 24 hours a day on subjects including work and study, drink and drugs, and relationships. Its bespoke question and answer service, askTheSite, provides young people with a confidential, personal answer to any question within three working days.

The SARC featured in the video was originally opened in April 2005 in response to a government initiative to improve the response to sexual violence nationally. Between April 2009 and March 2010 the centre recorded 299 cases.
           
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Media Enquiries:
For further media information – or to arrange interviews – please contact Katy Miller at YouthNet on 020 7250 5716 or out-of-hours on 07766 660 755.  Email media@youthnet.org

Notes to editors

• YouthNet is the UK's first exclusively online charity and was founded by Martyn Lewis CBE in 1995.  It helps young people aged 16 to 25 make choices today for a brighter tomorrow by providing them with impartial information and support about anything and everything. YouthNet does this through three online services; the guide to life for 16 to 25 year-olds TheSite.org, the UK's leading volunteering website Do-it and the first port of call for work, study and training advice Lifetracks.com.
• TheSite.org provides essential, straight-talking, anonymous advice to young people aged 16 to 25 about the issues affecting their livesDuring March 2010, 170,000 16 to 25 year olds in the UK visited TheSite.orgOn average, TheSite.org answers 800 questions a month through a bespoke Q&A service (askTheSite). It includes an online community with 39,000 registered users plus a series of articles, blogs, podcasts and videos covering anything and everything relevant to 16 to 25 year-olds
• Launched in 1995, TheSite.org is now visited by around 600,000 unique users each month.
• Run by online charity YouthNet, Do-it (do-it.org.uk) hosts more than 1.3 million volunteering opportunities, searchable by postcode, plus articles and advice on finding the perfect role. Currently there are 536,000 people registered on Do-it and each month more than 50,000 opportunities are applied for through the site
•  SARCs are specialist 24/7 services for people who have been raped or sexually assaulted. They aim to be one-stop services, providing the following under one roof: medical care and forensic examination following assault/rape, counselling and in some locations sexual health services. Services are free of charge and provided to men, women, young people and children (although not all centres may currently be able to assist children). New Swindon Sanctuary is a Sexual Assault Referral Centre for Wiltshire. The services offered are for ALL victims of sexual assault, no matter what the gender, sexual orientation, or age of the victim.
• The New Swindon Sanctuary Sexual Assault Referral Centre was set up in April 2005 in response to a government initiative to improve the response to sexual violence nationally. While accounting for less than 1% of all recorded crime and though hugely under reported, the scale of sexual violence and abuse is significant. Sexual violence and abuse can cause severe and long lasting harm to individuals across a range of social and economic factors. Long term effects can include depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorders, psychosis, drug and substance misuse, self-harm and suicide, of which a higher prevalence is documented amongst young victims of sexual assault. Females are more worried about rape than any other crime. 31% of children and young people who are abused reach adulthood without having disclosed their abuse. Support has been sketchy in the past but the New Swindon Sanctuary has recently been congratulated in providing all the key elements associated with SARC.
• The benefit of our SARC for the health and well being of the victim and delivery of justice can be considerable:
• A high standard of victim care to reduce the physical and psychological impact of sexual assault
• The opportunity for victims, if they wish to access the SARC as a self-referral
• Choice of gender physician
• High levels of victim satisfaction
• Opportunity for victims to store evidence in case they decide to report to the police at a later date as well as provide evidence anonymously
• vailability of speciality staff, trained in caring for victims of sexual assault
• A centre of excellence and expertise  providing advice, training and support  to local health practitioners, police and CPS involved in this work
• Strong links with the third sector
• Reduced attrition in the months between reporting and court
• The statistics used in the release are taken from the New Swindon Sanctuary Service User Totals April 2006 – March 2010. These figures are for total clients, both forensic medical examination and ISVA cases/non medical.

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