BME Survivors

At FRASAC we are committed to supporting all survivors of sexual violence including the BME community.

We can provide support for all forms of sexual violence such as:

• Sexual Abuse
• Childhood sexual abuse
• Rape
• Sexual Assault
• Sexual Harassment
• Sex trafficking
• Forced Marriage
• Commercial Sexual Exploitation (CSE)
• Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)
• Honour based violence

We understand that you may experience barriers that can make seeking support more difficult, such as:

• Being a part of a small religious and/or ethnic community and have concerns about confidentiality.
• English is not your first language.
• You may not want to share identifiable information, such as your real name or address.
• You may have experienced sexual violence in another country.
• You might be unsure if what you experienced was sexual violence.
• You have previously experienced discrimination and/or racism from services.
• The person who is abusing you could be a partner, ex-partner and/or another member of the household.
• You may be under a lot of pressure from family and community.

What you can expect from us

• We understand that the first step can take a lot of courage, you don’t need to give your real or full name.
• We will do everything we can to make accessing our services as easy as possible: you can contact us by text, phone or email.
• We can arrange for an interpreter if needed.
• Within our working week, we will always try to provide support at a day and time that suits you.
• We won’t forget how important trust and confidentiality are to you.
• We will not share your information with your family, friends, and other services or contact the Police unless you ask us to. The exception to this is if there are child or adult protection concerns. We are required to share this information, but we will tell you wherever possible.
• We understand that everyone reacts and feels differently after traumatic experiences so whatever you are feeling is a normal response to what happened to you.

 

Our Commitments:

FRASAC commits to:

1. Create an environment free of bullying, harassment, victimisation and unlawful discrimination, promoting dignity and respect for all, and where individual differences and the contributions of all survivors/staff/volunteers are recognised and valued. 
   This commitment includes training managers and all other employees/volunteers about their rights and responsibilities under the equality, diversity and inclusion policy; it also includes any training that can help FRASAC respond to the experiences of survivors (such as Disability Awareness, Antiracism training, Poverty Awareness etc.) to all staff and volunteers. Responsibilities include staff/volunteers conducting themselves to help the organisation provide equal opportunities in employment, and prevent bullying, harassment, victimisation and unlawful discrimination.
   All staff/volunteers should understand they, as well as their employer, can be held liable for acts of bullying, harassment, victimisation and unlawful discrimination, in the course of their employment, against fellow employees, customers, suppliers and the public.
   
   
2. Take seriously complaints of bullying, harassment, victimisation and unlawful discrimination by fellow employees, volunteers, customers, suppliers, visitors, the public and any others in the course of the organisation’s work activities.
   Such acts will be dealt with as misconduct under the organisation’s grievance and/or disciplinary procedures, and appropriate action will be taken. Particularly serious complaints could amount to gross misconduct and lead to dismissal without notice.
   Further, sexual harassment may amount to both an employment rights matter and a criminal matter, such as in sexual assault allegations. In addition, harassment under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 – which is not limited to circumstances where harassment relates to a protected characteristic – is a criminal offence.
   
   
3. Survivors will be treated with dignity and respect. FRASAC has zero tolerance approach towards the use of discriminatory and derogatory language and behaviours. Staff will not use discriminatory or derogatory language. This is in order to provide free quality services that are accessible to anyone aged 12+ affected by sexual violence, regardless of their protected characteristics.

The equality, diversity and inclusion policy is fully supported by our Board of Directors.