We Are Still Here For You

We understand that it is a very difficult time for everyone right now, particularly for survivors of sexual violence.

The vast majority of people who experience sexual violence are affected by someone known to them, often within their own family or by their own partner/spouse. This means that some people in Shetland are currently stuck at home with their perpetrators for a prolonged and indefinite time and therefore may be experiencing increased ongoing abuse.

And even for survivors whose immediate home situation is safe, the lack of access to normal coping mechanisms and stabilising factors such as spending time with friends and family, working alongside others, working out at the gym, and other group hobbies and clubs, means that people are struggling with their mental health and experiencing more symptoms of trauma such as flashbacks, anxiety, and dissociation.

You may be at home, but you are not alone. We are still here for you.

We are accepting referrals and can provide you with emotional support, therapeutic support, advocacy, information, and trauma therapy over VC, phone, message/text, and email.

We can support you through this. Get in touch.

• Centre Hours: Mon-Thurs 9am-1.30pm
• Centre Number: 01595 747 174
• Email: contact@shetlandrapecrisis.scot
• RCS Helpline: 08088 01 03 02 (6pm-midnight)
• Trauma Counselling Line Scotland: 08088 02 04 06 / counselling@health-in-mind.org.uk

We provide support for anyone affected by sexual violence (age 13+), including survivors themselves, friends, family and partners, no matter when in your life it occurred.

Sexual violence is any form of sexual contact that you don't freely agree to.

Contact includes more than just physical touch, it also includes any kind of sexualised interaction that you don't want or agree to such as unwanted messages, online harassment, stalking, inappropriate sexual questions/comments, and more. It also includes physical contact such as groping, taking advantage of someone on alcohol or drugs, removing condoms without consent, sexual assault, and rape.

Sexual violence is common. Anyone can experience it, at any age, but most victims are women and children. Men from marginalised groups such disabled men and gay, bisexual and/or trans men may also be at increased risk. The vast majority of perpetrators are men, but other genders do also perpetrate sexual violence. We see survivors of any gender.

Many survivors never tell anyone and it is still rarely reported to the police.

The victim is not to blame. Sexual violence does not ‘just happen’. A person commits sexual violence because, at some level, they decide to do so. They had a choice about what they did.

Although there are different forms of sexual violence, the effects are similar because the experience is frightening, shocking and can be confusing and difficult to cope with. This is partly because of the abuse itself. But it is also because there may be other factors which make a distressing or frightening experience much worse.

We believe you. We listen to you. We respect you.