Here to support men too
A SUPPORT drop-in helping survivors of sexual violence in Oban wants more men to come and talk.
Out of charity Rape Crisis’ current caseload in the town, a handful are men but support workers want to get word out to more men that help is available.
Across Argyll and Bute, male referrals have made up 16 per cent.
So far the drop-in sessions at New Hope in Soroba Road, every Monday from 11am to noon, have brought in a mix of both men and women wanting to talk.
Coronation Street’s latest harrowing story-line about a male rape and recent football coach revelations have played a part in helping more men break their silence of experiencing sexual violence, but Rape Crisis support worker Ailsa MacEachern hopes taking the service into a community hub will reach out to more men locally.
‘It’s known it’s much more difficult for men to come forward and get help but we want them to know the service we offer is for them as well as women,’ she said.
‘I think men really struggle with talking about issues of sexual violence because some may feel it’s not just an assault on them but also on their masculinity. The story line on Coronation Street and the wake of recent revelations of historic abuse from football coaches has helped open up the issue.
‘We want to break through any stigma that we are thought of as just being a feminist organisation. We want men to know they deserve the same support as women.’
Ms MacEachern says the dropin sessions are held in a private side-room at New Hope. The sessions are discreet and 100 per cent confidential which is important in such a small town, she added. If people want, they can leave through another door.
‘There’s a sign up on the sideroom door and I will be hovering where people come in so they can see who I am and just let me know if they want to talk.
‘People have been using the drop-in sessions to have a wee chat to see if we can help make life easier for them. We’ve had a good response so far. For some people it might not be the right time to talk yet but the sessions are also about us letting people know we are there if they need us and it’s about letting them know it’s really okay to talk.
‘Quite often people think it has to have been rape or a crisis to talk to us, just because of our name but we are here for any survivor of sexual violence no matter when it happened in their lives. We’re also here to help friends and families who are helping people but don’t know where to turn,’ she said.