This is something that I have always been told by parents, friends, teachers and something I have always passed on to the young people I have worked with.
Safety in numbers, always stay in a group, leave no one behind.
We like to think of the UK as a bit of a nanny state with the stats saying you’re caught in CCTV at least 300 times a day. Should be the safest place to be
Then why do some people think it is acceptable to assault young women or men traveling in silo. It’s recently been in the news that a few black cabbies have been sexually assaulting women in the back of their cars. They have an internal lock system and don’t always check in to the head office and give the postcode or address of who is being dropped where. But they have integrity!? Pah! So mini cabs must be better, no? I recently heard of an incident where a mini cab was booked, postcode and names taken and the passenger fell asleep, only to awaken miles away from her destination and 4 hours into a 30 min journey, very clearly sexually assaulted. The driver still asked her to pay. What a cheek!
The even more shocking thing for me was that she wondered at first if she should report it. She didn’t think she would be taken seriously and blamed herself for falling asleep.
Make no mistake, the Police take this very seriously. And, no, it wasn’t her fault.
People have the right to feel safe in their homes, outside and in transit. If for any reason you do not feel safe in a taxi, car or bus call the police. Stay in groups and travel together. Make sure someone always knows where you are. If you have to travel by yourself sit in the front of the taxi and stay alert.
Chris Rolfe, Deputy Director of Communications at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust took the time to pen some information for the blog about The Havens, in case things do go wrong.
The Havens
The Havens provide assistance 24 hours a day, seven days a week to anyone who has been raped or sexually assaulted in the past twelve months. This includes men, women, young people and children of all ages.
The team aim to see people within 90 minutes or a request being received. They can be contacted by phone, and all the information you need is on their website – http://www.thehavens.org.uk/how-we-can-help/
The medical and emotional support services they provide are confidential. This means they will not tell anyone you have contacted them, or come to see them, unless you want us to. And you can use any of their services without involving the police. They also offer follow up care, including counselling, tests and treatments.