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Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre

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Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre
AbbreviationERCC
Formation1978
TypeCharity
PurposeSupport for survivors of sexual violence
Location
  • Edinburgh, Scotland
Region served
Edinburgh, East and Midlothian
Websitewww.ercc.scot

Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre (ERCC) is a Scottish charity established in 1978, providing free support to survivors of sexual violence. The centre serves people residing in Edinburgh, East Lothian, and Midlothian who are at least 12 years old.[1] The ERCC is part of the network of 17 member centres under Rape Crisis Scotland.

Organizational structure

The centre is led by a CEO and governed by a board of directors. As a part of Rape Crisis Scotland, ERCC is bound by the Rape Crisis National Service Standards.

History

The Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre was established in 1978 as part of the expanding network of Rape Crisis Centres in Scotland. Mridul Wadhwa has served as the organization's CEO since May 2021,[2] when she moved from the Forth Valley Rape Crisis Centre.[3]

Wadhwa's appointment was protested by gender-critical people because she is a transgender woman.[4] ERCC's trans-inclusionary policy led to J. K. Rowling establishing Beira's Place, a support and counselling service for women who are survivors of sexual violence in Edinburgh[2][5] which does not employ or serve transgender women.[6]

In a 2021 interview on the Guilty Feminist podcast, Wadhwa said that ERCC would serve survivors with "unacceptable beliefs", including racism and transphobia, but that they should "expect to be challenged" on those beliefs.[7] Wadhwa's comments were criticized, including by For Women Scotland,[8] and Rowling stated that the comments inspired her to create Beira's Place. Wadhwa said her words were taken out context.[9][10][11][12]

In 2021, following abuse to staff on social media and in phone calls, the centre closed its doors temporarily and re-opened after additional security measure were taken.[13]

In 2024, the United Kingdom saw multiple employment tribunal cases over views on transgender people, and ERCC had one constructive dismissal claim in January.[14] This claim, by Roz Adams, was successful. In May 2024, an employment tribunal gave a decision in favour of Adams, who was constructively dismissed by Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre because of her 'gender-critical' beliefs. The employment judge said that Mridul Wadhwa, the chief executive of the Centre, had been involved in the disciplinary process, and referred to her as being behind a 'heresy hunt' against Adams. Compensation for Adams was to be determined at a later hearing. According to The Times, two members of the board resigned after the judgment.[15]

In September 2024, Rape Crisis Scotland paused referrals to Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre after a review into practices and procedures found it had not adhered to national standards.[16] On 13 September 2024 it was announced that Wadhwa had resigned. The review commissioned by Rape Crisis Scotland found that she "did not understand the limits on her role's authority, when to refer decisions to trustees and failed to set professional standards of behaviour". The review also found that the Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre had not protected women-only spaces and had not put survivors first. Among the failures cited was not clarifying the birth sex of every staff member, and requiring survivors to request if they wanted to be seen by a cisgender staff member specifically.[17][18][19]

In November 2024, the tribunal ruled that ERCC must pay Adams £68,989.71 as compensation for discrimination, constructive dismissal, and emotional pain and suffering. ERCC was also ordered to make a public apology to Adams on its website, and to refer sexual assault survivors to Beira's Place.[20][21]

Services

ERCC offers a range of services including:

  • Support Service: Emotional and practical support in Edinburgh, East Lothian, and Midlothian.
  • STAR Project: Specialized support for young people aged 12–18.
  • Advocacy Service: Support for survivors engaging with the criminal justice system.
  • SIA Project: Support for black and minority ethnic (BME) survivors.
  • Student Survivors Project: Counseling for university and college students.
  • Prevention Work: Workshops on sexual violence for 11–25 year-olds.

References

  1. ^ "Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre". Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre. Retrieved 2024-01-26.
  2. ^ a b Carrell, Severin (December 12, 2022). "JK Rowling launches support centre for female victims of sexual violence". The Guardian. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  3. ^ https://www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/article/trans-rape-boss-resign-mridul-wadhwa-2mqxshwq3
  4. ^ Harding, Nick (2021-05-19). "Protests over trans woman heading rape crisis centre". The Times. Retrieved 2024-01-26.
  5. ^ Meighan, Craig (12 December 2022). "Edinburgh: J K Rowling opens 'women-only' sex survivors centre". thenational.scot. The National. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  6. ^ Wakefield, Lily (2022-12-12). "JK Rowling launches sex abuse support service that excludes trans women". PinkNews. Retrieved 2024-01-22.
  7. ^ "Creating Our Own World with Kemah Bob and Mridul Wadhwa". The Guilty Feminist (Podcast). Archived from the original on 26 October 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
  8. ^ Gordon, Tom (12 August 2021). "Outcry over plan to educate 'bigoted' rape survivors about trans rights". The Herald Scotland. Archived from the original on 26 October 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
  9. ^ Sanderson, Daniel (12 December 2022). "JK Rowling says she's rich enough to take the flak as she launches women-only support service". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 December 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  10. ^ Meighan, Craig (12 December 2022). "JK Rowling opens 'women-only' centre for sex abuse survivors in Scotland". The National. Archived from the original on 14 December 2022. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  11. ^ Davidson, Gina (12 December 2022). "JK Rowling launches new women-only sexual abuse support centre". LBC. Archived from the original on 14 December 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  12. ^ wadhwa, mridul (12 August 2021). "Statement". edinburghrapecrisis. ERCC. Archived from the original on 12 March 2023. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  13. ^ Meighan, Craig (12 December 2022). "Edinburgh: J K Rowling opens 'women-only' sex survivors centre". thenational.scot. The National. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  14. ^ Siddique, Haroon (19 January 2024). "'A politically toxic issue': the legal battles over gender-critical beliefs". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  15. ^ Wade, Mike (20 May 2024). "JK Rowling slams 'witch-hunts' after rape crisis centre worker's victory". thetimes.com. The Times. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  16. ^ "Edinburgh rape crisis centre failed to protect women-only spaces". BBC News. 2024-09-12. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  17. ^ McCool and Gordon (12 September 2024). "Rape crisis centre failed to protect women-only spaces". bbc.co.uk. BBC. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  18. ^ "Rape crisis centre CEO stands down after report into failings". bbc.co.uk. BBC. 13 September 2024. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  19. ^ Hansford, Amelia (2024-09-13). "Trans boss of Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre quits after review into services". PinkNews. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  20. ^ Ferguson, Donna (6 November 2024). "Woman unfairly dismissed over gender-critical views to get £69,000 payout". theguardian.com. Guardian. Retrieved 7 November 2024.
  21. ^ "Rape crisis worker unlawfully dismissed to get £70k". bbc.co.uk. BBC. 6 November 2024. Retrieved 7 November 2024.
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