Focus on Charity — ORSAS

Orkney is undoubtedly a wonderful place to live.

Last year, Orkney was — yet again — named one of the best places to raise a family in the UK. At the same time, Orkney Rape and Sexual Assault Service (ORSAS) supported 102 people.

In campaigning for an end to sexual violence, ORSAS service director Zelda Bradley, emphasises that both of these things can be true at the same time. 

“Alongside the positive statistics, there are challenges facing our community in relation to housing, hidden poverty, gender-based violence, and substance misuse,” she explains.

Zelda and her colleagues offer emotional and practical support to survivors of sexual violence aged 13-plus, as well as those who are helping survivors close to them.

In Orkney, much of the challenge around reporting sexual violence and supporting survivors is wrapped up in our island’s good reputation and close-knit community. 

“All the things that positively bind our community together also create barriers to disclosure and accessing support,” Zelda continues. 

“People rely on one another’s goodwill. We are at school, working, and socialising together. 

“There is a transparency to island living that can’t be escaped. Everyone has a lineage, where we live, and where we fit into the fabric of island life. This is true if we were born here or arrived on the last ferry.”

When ORSAS first began here, Zelda found that the women she spoke to often shared assumptions that it wasn’t a busy service, before disclosing their own experience of sexual violence.

“Revealing that one of us harmed another has serious consequences,” she explains. 

“It makes survivors visible and vulnerable. It challenges the cohesion of the community and the construct that we are all safe here with the people we know. 

“If the community narrative says her experience is unthinkable, survivors are silenced, they fear they won’t be believed.”

Breaking down that barrier is at the heart of what ORSAS does.

The 68 survivors and 34 family, friends and professionals supporting survivors who received help from the service last year felt listened to and believed.  

The work of ORSAS is ongoing, in the face of stark figures both locally and nationally. 

“For the past few years most crimes are reducing, but reported rapes and sexual offences keep on rising,” explains Zelda. 

“When the last Scottish crime stats were released in November we learned that the number of reported rape and attempted rape have increased by 25 per cent over the past four years. 

“That’s really disturbing.

“Sexual assault increased by four per cent and threatening to or disclosing intimate images of another person (also known as ‘revenge porn’) increased by 15 per cent over the past year.” 

Already, this year, ORSAS has exceeded the number of people supported in the previous 12 months, supporting 105 people. Of these, 17 survivors were supported through the criminal justice process. 

“I think Scotland needs to do much more to tackle rape and sexual violence before it happens. 

“That means investing in prevention work, so that every young person in Scotland has access to education about consent and healthy relationships. 

“This work is crucial if we want to eradicate rape and sexual violence in our communities.”

How can we, as a community, support this work?

Prevention work is the first line of defence in stopping this behaviour in its tracks.

“To allow ORSAS to continue to do this work, we need consistent and realistic long-term funding that allows for development to meet our community needs,” Zelda explains.

“We are a very small service with part-time staff and we need to be able to offer a consistent, accessible, specialist service.

“With rising numbers of service users, the service is becoming more difficult to sustain, so every penny in our collection tins helps.”

ORSAS recognises that inequality has an impact on who is most at risk from sexual violence. 

“Cost of living impacts on families prioritising fuel and food costs,” says Zelda.

“People are having to make tough choices. 

“ORSAS works closely with The Phoenix Cinema to show films that have women’s stories to celebrate International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month.

“This year there will be free films on March 8, 9, 21 and 22.

“Also look out for an exhibition in our Equality Hub from Protests and Suffragettes for inspiring stories on historic women campaigners.”