LimeCulture is delighted to launch the fourth and final resource from the National ISVA Co-ordinator (NISVAC) ISVA Resources series: The Service Justice System and working with victims and survivors of sexual violence in the Armed Forces.
The resource aims to:
- Support ISVAs to understand and navigate the Service Justice System
- Provide information on internal support services and structures
- Highlight the barriers to support and reporting for victims and survivors within the Armed Forces
- Provide good practice points and additional resources to support ISVAs in their practice.
The resource has been created in collaboration with the Rape and Serious Sexual Offences Lead for the newly established Defence Serious Crime Unit and Aurora New Dawn, a service specifically commissioned to provide ISVA support to victims and survivors in the Armed Forces.
Download the resource here: The Service Justice System and working with victims and survivors of sexual violence in the Armed Forces
Holli Waterson, the National ISVA Co-ordinator, said:
“From our consultation with charity professionals, support organisations, ISVA services, and academics, we know that victims and survivors within the Armed Forces often find it difficult to access external specialist sexual violence support, including support from an ISVA. With so few referrals into local ISVA services, ISVAs told us they felt unfamiliar with the Service Justice System (SJS) and lacked confidence in supporting clients from the Forces through these processes.
It is imperative that in addition to internal support options, victims and survivors of sexual violence serving in the Armed Forces can access local, independent and specialist support, and that ISVA feel skilled and confident in meeting their needs and navigating the SJS.
Our new resource aims to support ISVAs to increase their knowledge and understanding of the SJS and the additional barriers to support for service personnel to ensure ISVA support is accessible to all victims/survivors, including those who are currently serving, or have previously served in the Armed Forces.
We hope that this resource will support ISVAs in their practice and look forward to continuing our collaboration with the Ministry of Defence and the Defence Serious Crime Unit to improve the response to victims and survivors of sexual violence”.
LimeCulture would like to extend a very special thank you to all who generously gave up their time to share their knowledge and experiences and contribute to the development of this resource.
About the National ISVA Co-ordinator (NISVAC) Service
The NISVAC Service was commissioned by the Hydrant Programme between September 2020 and March 2023 to support victims/survivors of sexual abuse from identified hard-to-reach, or seldom heard, groups with a pathway into support from an ISVA service and/or access to the criminal justice system, in recognition of the additional barriers they face.