Critically the project will give women over 55+ years the opportunity to contribute to the development of relevant support services that address their specific needs.
Based on census research by The British Crime Survey and the statistic that 1 in 5 women will be impacted by sexual violence, we estimate that there are around 176,000 survivors of rape, sexual assault or sexual abuse, over the age of 55, living in the South West of England. However all the Women’s Centres and Rape Crisis Centres in the South West recognise that only a small % of women over 55 are asking for any support. We therefore want to reach out to these women to enable them to get the support that is right for them.
A key part of the project is hearing from women across the regions about their experiences and what type of support would work for them.
We aim to identify and reduce barriers to specialist support for these women by:
- conducting a needs assessment across the South West
- seeking input from women 55+ through focus groups
- creating support and information resources for women 55+
- raising awareness of the issue and myths surrounding sexual violence related to women 55+
- collaborating and creating ongoing relationships with aged care services to provide clear pathways of support for women over 55 who have experienced sexual violence.
Would you like to be involved?
If you are a woman 55 or older who lives in the South West, you can fill out our survey.
We would love to hear your thoughts!
To complete the survey please click on the link below.
We would also really appreciate if you could share this link.
If you have any questions about the project please get in touch with Dina Holder on dina.holder@womenscentrecornwall.org.uk or 07398893242 or call our office on 01208 76466.
