Please support the work of these two anti-rape organisations by attending this Xmas fundraiser at our Centre where they are based.

For women and girls who’ve suffered sexual violence, WAR provides a unique combination of support, counselling, advocacy, legal information and practical back-up which is not available anywhere else. Despite losing their London funding in 2003, their work hasn’t stopped – women still call daily and with WAR’s help are winning justice, asylum and compensation. Both London Rape Crisis and the Rape Crisis Federation have recently folded. Claire Glasman, WAR volunteer, said: “Many women who call us are desperate for help, but have found other resources for rape survivors have a long waiting list or have been closed down. We are always hearing comments like, ‘If you hadn’t been there, I don’t think I would have survived.’ “


Cristel Amiss of BWRAP says, “Many African women come to us because they have been refused asylum, having escaped from war zones, where rape and other sexual violence is used as a weapon of war. Despite experiencing horrific torture , they are denied protection, benefits and housing by the British authorities. Women often describe their ordeal here as further “torture”. Imagine trying to report your attackers to the police and being put in detention, or told “we don’t believe you” and that it’s safe for you to go back and live in that violent situation. For women seeking asylum from rape, this and other sexist and racist treatment by the Home Office, the courts, statutory and voluntary services, and even legal representatives, is a terrifyingly common experience. Many women are locked up, or put on the next flight back to the country they fled. Working with WAR and the All African Women’s Group, also based at the women’s centre, we are determined to win protection and vital resources for rape survivors, no matter where we come from, and official recognition that rape is torture and persecution and therefore grounds for asylum.



What you can do:
* Bookfair: Clear out shelves, garages and lofts before Xmas and donate stuff to the bookfair. Please bring it to the Women’s Centre from Mon 7 December, or ring Ruth for collection on 020 7482 2496. Help out now with preparations, or on the day – all kinds of tasks – something for everyone! Drivers especially needed. Send this email to your contact list. Come to the Bookfair to get your Xmas gifts, fiction and non-fiction, on all sorts of subjects, for adults and children.
* Send a cash donation, or set up a standing order, to one (or both)
of these two organisations. (We can send you a standing order form.) If you are a taxpayer, you can use “Gift Aid” to give us the benefit of tax-back on your donations.
* Send your old mobile phone to the women’s centre – WAR is taking part in a “Green Phones” recycling scheme where donated phones are gathered and then auctioned to raise money.

We look forward to seeing you on the 11th!

Best wishes,
Crossroads Women's Centre