Perth support groups welcome launch of rape campaign

Tayside support groups for victims of sex crimes have formally backed a powerful new campaign aimed at improving public attitudes towards rape survivors.

The Scottish Government’s awareness-raising drive, titled I Just Froze, challenges misconceptions about sexual assault and highlights that freezing on the spot, rather than fight or flight, is a common response to trauma.

The campaign is led by two online animations voiced by This Life actor Daniela Nardini.

The Perth and Kinross Rape and Sexual Assault Centre has announced its support for I Just Froze.

Development manager Jen Stewart said: “Its central message – that there is no ‘right’ way to respond to rape – is a vital one, and something that the public really needs to know.

“We regularly see survivors who tell us that they froze, and found themselves unable to move or fight back while someone was assaulting them.

“Survivors we see can find it very difficult to talk about what’s happening to them, even with people they are close to, so it can be difficult for them to get the support they need, or report to the police.

“And this is something that will not change until there is a far greater public awareness that there are many different responses to rape, all of them are completely natural and normal.”

Lex Greig, who chairs the Perth and Kinross Violence Against Women Partnership, added: “There are a number of widely held assumptions about how women should react following a rape or sexual assault experience, which is often expressed through the media.

“This new campaign is welcomed in light of the forthcoming changes to legislation, and in helping to change public understanding, knowledge and attitudes to the fact that all victims of serious sexual violence will respond differently in the face of significant trauma, and importantly that there is no such thing as the right reaction.”

Chief Constable of Police Scotland Phil Gormley described the campaign as “extremely important” and said: “No two reports are ever the same.”