The Compass Centre Invites Submissions for Campaign

Following on from #WisToo, The Compass Centre, also known as Shetland Rape Crisis, is curating a digital and print awareness-raising project focused on experiences of sexual harassment and intimate image abuse in Shetland.

Submissions will inspire the creation of a print campaign that will appear on buses across the Isles and a digital campaign that will be released via social media and on The Compass Centre website.

Ellie Ratter, Sexual Violence Prevention & Activism Worker at The Compass Centre, said: “If you are someone who has been affected by sexual harassment and/or intimate image abuse in Shetland and you want to tell your story, this campaign is a chance to share that in a safe and anonymous way.

“We want to make sure that any campaign we produce is informed first and foremost by the voices of folk who have been affected by these kinds of sexual harm, so that we are addressing realistic concerns in our community.

“We are not looking to replicate #WisToo or Orkney’s excellent Tak A Stand Project, but we have been inspired by the response to these projects and the trauma-informed way that they have been run.”

“If you would like to be a part of this, you can submit your story anonymously through the link included in this story, before the closing date on Friday 30^th September. In the months following, a few extracts will be chosen for the print campaign, and the full list of submissions will be published on our website to make sure that all voices are heard.”

Sexual harassment is any words or actions of a sexual nature that are not wanted or agreed to. It may include, but is not limited to: cat-calling / wolf-whistling / other street harassment, unwanted comments of a sexual nature, unwelcome sexual advances, and unwelcome comments based on your gender and/or sexuality. Sexual harassment can occur in person, digitally, or even over the phone.

Intimate image abuse consists of intimate images (photos, video, and/or audio recordings) of you being shared without your consent, or threats to share these. This may include, but is not limited to: intimate images that are originally sent with consent but then further shared and/or kept without consent, intimate images taken without your knowledge or consent, and threats to create and/or share intimate images if you do not comply with the perpetrator’s wishes. The sharing of intimate images often forms a part of wider abuse and is sometimes known colloquially as “revenge porn.

Please note: although submissions detailing sexual harm that do not fit these descriptions can be accepted and will be included in the full digital document, the campaign itself will only be focused on these particular kinds of sexual harm.

Service Manager, Lisa Ward said “It is very important to us that the voices of survivors of sexual harm are heard and centred in any campaign work that we do, especially when there is so often a culture of silence around these issues in small communities where the stigma and social cost of speaking out is so high. When we identified sexual harassment and intimate image abuse as the focus of our next campaign, we were clear that we wanted this to be informed by the real-life experiences of survivors in Shetland.

“Before making a submission, we do want to urge folk to consider carefully if they feel ready and able to tell their story and have it included in a high-profile campaign, and to remind survivors that support and information is available from The Compass Centre if this coverage brings up any painful memories for them.”

Submissions can be removed or altered until Friday 7^th October 2022 through a separate form which will be linked on The Compass Centre website and social media, so a story can be anonymously edited or withdrawn from the campaign by the author.

After the closing date, the submissions will be reviewed to ensure that anonymity is upheld and that they contain no identifiable information. This means that certain words or phrases may be taken out or changed to allow the story to remain anonymous.

Ellie added: “We take confidentiality very seriously. The only folk who will access submissions will be the allocated staff members at The Compass Centre who are managing the campaign. If any identifiable information is provided in your story, this will be removed to preserve your, and others, anonymity and safety.”

The only exceptions to this Confidentiality Policy are situations relating to the protection of children or adults at risk, and/or situations where someone’s life is in danger. If a submission highlights a child or adult protection concern, or an immediate risk to someone’s life, then The Compass Centre is duty bound to report this for appropriate follow-up.

If you would like to make a submission, please follow the below link:

Submissions for Campaign Against Sexual Harassment & Intimate Image Abuse (google.com)