To mark National Poetry Day 2022, we are honoured to launch our Survivors Voices campaign. This campaign aims to forefront and amplify the voices of survivors of sexual violence in Moray, and share strength, compassion, and solidarity with survivors across Moray and beyond. In this space, with their consent, we are honoured to post survivors’ poetry, writing, and artwork.

Moray Rape Crisis is founded as a service on the need to provide a space for survivors’ stories to be held and heard, whether it be through providing safe, respectful therapeutic spaces for survivors to tell their stories in their own words and at their own pace, or through activist campaigns calling for justice, change and an end to sexual violence and gender inequality.

Survivors tell us that being able to give voice to their story, to speak their truth, whether through poetry, writing, art, or whatever means feels authentic and safe for each survivor, helps lessen the shame, stigma, and sense of aloneness they have carried, and often felt silenced by, perhaps for many years. Our Survivor Voices campaign aims to honour the power of survivor voices in creating change, both individually and societally.

The power of survivors coming together, building connection, speaking out and standing together in solidarity can never be underestimated. Social movements are formed of it. Change happens because of it.

Haikus by Members of MRC’s All Write Group- October 2022