Statement of Feminism

Notts SVSS started over 40 years ago as a self-help group run by women.  They were angry at the incidents of rape within the county, the way that female victims were treated and the myths and images attached to rape.

Today Notts SVSS is a specialist service, providing support to all survivors (aged 18+) of sexual violence and abuse living in Nottingham/shire, whether the abuse happened recently or in the past.  We support males, females and LGBTQ+ and have specialist knowledge of the needs of survivors from black, Asian and other minoritised groups.

We work with all genders and we are a feminist organisation.  This ethos underpins what our service is and how it is run.  It means that:

• We provide services to women in women-only spaces
• We listen to survivors and we believe what they tell us
• We aim to empower all people in contact with our organisation, including survivors and our staff.
• We believe that all people have the right to bodily autonomy and to make decisions over the healthcare they receive
• We believe that rape and sexual violence is never the fault of the survivor
• We actively work with other organisations in the VAWG* sector
• We look beyond rape and sexual violence so that we can challenge the systems and beliefs that enable sexual violence to occur

We understand that violence against women and girls is often spoken about and is usually the main frame of reference for service provision.  This can make it feel more difficult for males to feel seen or ask for support.  Feminism is about equality.  We work hard for male survivors too.  Our counselling, therapy and helpline services are Male Quality Standards accredited and we campaign hard for the rights and recognition of male survivors in their own right.  Details of our specialist support for males is on our website.

*VAWG stands for Violence Against Women and Girls.