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September Sexual Violence Prevention Blog
Hello everyone, and welcome to the Prevention Blog. I wanted to do something a little different this month and occasionally over the coming months; and that is to focus on a particular theme, word or issue at hand, and delve into it a little deeper. This month, I’d like to focus on Microaggressions. I am really interested in all aspects of Gender-based Violence (GBV) and I like to learn about various topics – they all link in with one another and all are an important part of our Prevention work here at MRC.
So what are microaggressions? Here is a little explanation about it – the following information has come various texts online, training I have undertaken, and my values as a Prevention Worker:
As we go about our everyday lives, there’s noise around us constantly. People talk all the time and it is usually what you’d expect in everyday conversation. However, we often find that hidden in all that noise is something that we tend to sweep under the rug. Little remarks that fly under the radar, little comments so common that you have almost certainly heard them before…
“You throw like a girl. Boys don’t cry, so suck it up. You look good, have you lost weight? Wow, you are really smart for a [insert group name here]”.
All these phrases and awkward situations are probably at least a little familiar to you; whether you have experienced them first hand, seen them from afar or maybe heard them in a slightly different way.
These little biases and prejudices hidden in everyday conversation are what’s known as microaggressions.
Microaggressions are spoken words that reflect and show people’s inner prejudice.
The people who are the targets of these microaggressions are harmed by them, mentally, emotionally and physically.
So, despite what many people may think, these ‘little remarks/jokes/bants’ do matter and do need to addressed and challenged, so we can all realise that they aren’t acceptable and people will not continue to harm others.
Read on to understand how to stop these microaggressions...
Shining a light on Poverty in Moray
In light of the fact that last week was The Poverty Alliance’s Challenge Poverty Week and on the 17th October it’s International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, we want to reshare a blog post from 2 years ago.
Poverty and financial hardship are still as prevalent today as they were 2 years ago. Survivors, increasingly, are having difficulties affording basic physical resources, like food, housing and fuel and they may struggle to access employment, benefits and social networks to help with childcare or household tasks.
We are resharing the blog, with updated statistics, to shine a light on the poverty and the additional struggles survivors in Moray are facing. Sexual violence has a huge ripple effect, not just on the survivor, but the survivor’s family, friends and on our entire community.
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Today (Thursday October 17th) is International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. It’s a day to raise awareness, eliminate shame and stigma, and signpost to support.
Poverty is “when a person’s resources are not sufficient to meet their minimum needs to participate in society” (Joseph Rowntree Foundation). This can mean a lack of physical or financial resources, including clothing, food, housing, and fuel or employment, benefits, and pension. It can also mean a lack of opportunity for participation in society, including missing out on social activities or a lack of a social network to help with childcare or household tasks.
Moray ranked 13th out of 32 council areas in Scotland (1st is the highest rates) for poverty levels. This is in part due to a lower average wage in the area than the Scottish average, meaning Moray is less resilient to the rising cost of living. Nearly a quarter of Moray’s children live in poverty (Moray Council) 45% of Moray households are in fuel poverty (Moray Council)
Poverty in Moray is often hidden. In the most recent data, the areas with the highest rates of child poverty in Moray and the area with the lowest are just a mile away from one another. (Moray Council) It can also be hidden due to the rural nature of our region. The Cost of Living crisis (increasing cost of food, fuel, and energy); lack of accessible and affordable resources in rural areas; and limited access to employment and higher wages mean it’s harder to earn income and harder to buy essentials (Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation).
We understand that everyone’s experience of poverty and financial hardship is different. We also know that women are acutely affected by poverty and financial hardship, Engender and the Scottish Women’s Budget Group describe women as, “the shock absorbers of poverty”. (Rape Crisis Scotland). The effects can be felt particularly hard by survivors of sexual violence and other forms of gender-based violence (GBV). 95% of people who experience domestic abuse experience some form of economic abuse (Surviving Economic Abuse). One in three survivors has to give up their home as a result of gender-based violence and domestic violence is the leading cause of women presenting as homeless in Scotland (Shelter). Poverty can prevent survivors from leaving their abuser if they don’t have the financial resources to sustain life outwith the relationship and gender based violence creates barriers to employment and economic resources due to the negative health and wellbeing impacts of the traumatic events, negative impacts to earning potential and career progression, and financial stability (Scottish Government).
At Moray Rape Crisis we understand that the cost-of-living crisis alongside other issues can affect people’s access to food. So we are partnered with Moray Food Plus and we offer survivors accessing the service a Food Larder where they can choose food to take away with them. We also offer free toiletries and sanitary products.
Summer Sexual Violence Prevention Update
I am delighted to share with you that the Sexual Violence Prevention workshops have begun at Lossiemouth High School and Elgin Academy. It is a joy to be back in the schools after a summer break and to settle in once again to learning and developing key skills together. Lossie High are about to receive workshops on Consent, Power, Understanding Sexual Violence and Pornography. Elgin Academy lower year groups will be introduced to Consent and Power workshops, with the upper years receiving an opportunity to build upon those themes as we introduce Understanding Sexual Violence and Pornography. These two schools will be keeping me busy for the next few months before space opens up for a series of workshops with Elgin High School of which I am really looking forward to.
I will have more to update next month!
- Harry
The Sexual Violence Prevention Programme runs throughout the year during a High School’s PSE lessons. For more information about the programme, please visit our website.
May & June Sexual Violence Prevention Blog
May and June can often be a quieter time for the Sexual Violence Prevention Programme (SVPP) due to the hustle and bustle in schools for exams, timetable changes, and fun events in and around school to mark the end of the school term before the summer break.
Whilst I may not be facilitating workshops in PSE lessons for S1 to S6, I am still a busy bee, working hard to strengthen collaborative working with other services in Moray to further bolster support and resources for young people and adults to access. I also take the opportunity to undertake training, webinars and research to further continue my professional development.
Which brings me onto writing this blog for you today. Given that consent has been so prominent in the press recently, with women speaking out about their experiences on Married at First Sight as an example, Moray Rape Crisis would like to have a consent-themed prevention blog to highlight some of our ongoing work on this topic.
In addition, MRC are launching a new newsletter with a ‘featured post’ section, and for this newsletter we will focus on ‘Consent in Intimate Partner Relationships’. Consent in relationships is a topic of discussion that develops naturally via discussions with young people in all of the SVPP workshop themes; Consent, Power, Understanding Sexual Violence, Online Sexual Violence and Pornography. For more information about the SVPP, please click here.
May Update from our Sexual Violence Prevention Worker
I am writing this the morning after Scotland recorded the lowest temperature in May ever, coming in at -9C! Despite this chilly low, I am happy to let you know some of the wonderful highs that have been accomplished in the Prevention world recently.
Workshops in a number of our Moray High Schools are ongoing, including a bespoke workshop created for Year 9s attending Gordonstoun. More workshops are now being booked in for the remainder of the year and into 2027! Moray school’s timetable changes in May so once we know when classes are scheduled for their PSE lessons in school, we book Moray Rape Crisis workshops into the diary very quickly as the slots fill up fast.
If you are a teacher or leader of a youth group in Moray and would like to book a workshop with Harry, our Sexual Violence Prevention Worker, please email us at contact@morayrapecrisis.scot
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