Workshops run by Cambridge Rape Crisis equip staff to deal with disclosures of rape or other sexual assaults.
It clarified a lot of things for me, especially around procedures.
Workshop participant
You just don’t want to slip up when someone tells you something this important,” commented a participant at the first of this year’s Staff Training on Student Disclosures of Sexual Assault workshops.
The workshop aims to equip any member of Cambridge’s collegiate University to deal with disclosures of rape or other sexual assaults. There is an emphasis on practical advice for what to do and say during a disclosure, from what to avoid (for instance reacting, naturally, with horror could be interpreted by victims as revulsion aimed at them) to how to make proper notes on a disclosure.
Trainer Norah Al-Ani, Director of Cambridge Rape Crisis Centre, says what victims really need from you at that moment is to, “Listen to us, believe us, tell us it is not our fault. Understand we can have mixed feelings, including possible guilt about the consequences for the accused. Be patient – allow us time to tell our story.”
This advice is framed by some shocking statistics (68% of UK students experience sexual harassment, 52% of women experience unwanted behaviour at work). But also, some facts that challenge a few of the more persistent myths around sexual misconduct.
This allows for an exploration of what may be part of our own bias and the trainers provide guidance on how to manage this.
The training also contains an update on sector developments around sexual misconduct and an in-depth look at the University of Cambridge’s new Harassment and Sexual Misconduct Procedures from the Head of the Office for Student Conduct, Complaints and Appeals Sarah D’Ambrumenil.
A chance for participants to ask about the challenges and problems unique to them is offered at the end of the workshop, with a question and answer session.
One participant summed up the workshop: “It clarified a lot of things for me, especially around procedures, a lot of which are different in Cambridge.”
Another said: “When a student comes to talk to you, we would often refer them to someone with greater expertise but we know that having come to us first, they may want to speak to us again, so this has been invaluable.”
Staff can book on the course at : https://www.training.cam.ac.uk/gdp/event/2293191