The first Rosey Project Community (RPC) meeting was held in March 2017. Since then, it has become a special place for young advocacy volunteers to feel part of an empowering community where they can advocate for survivors of sexual violence.
As an RPC member stated, “nobody discussed what happened to them, but we all knew we were a team. […] There was an understanding kind of thing, that didn’t have to be explained”.
The crucial focus of being part of the RPC has been helping survivors gain their power back. As an RPC advocate confirmed: “With rape, survivors lose a lot of control. This group has empowered them by giving them back some control over what to do about it – which there are not a lot of things like [the RPC] out there that you can do”.
Advocacy work
Since its beginning, RPC has been a very proactive, survivor-centred group. They have:
- spoken to the Parliament, worked on the Equally Safe programme
- created and designed Zines for survivors
- worked alongside NHS Scotland to create “Awkward Moments”
- taken part in a panel for HIV Scotland.
Rosey Project Community Project Work
The RPC has also carried out project work and research of its own. Over 2017 to 2023 the group has been exploring issues around the portrayal of sexual violence in the media.
Impact of Media Portrayals of Sexual Violence on Young Survivors
Their first ever project looked at sexual violence and the media. This resulted in the report “The Rosey Project Community investigate the Impact of Media Portrayals of Sexual Violence on Young Survivors” in 2021. You can see the full report here.
Reassess the Press
Combining the recommendations of the first report led to the RPC’s ‘Reassess the Press’ exhibition in 2023.
Here’s the group statement on the origins of the exhibition and what it was about:
“Due to some of our experiences with seeing things in the media we felt compelled to have a closer look at how the media might impact on survivors/how the media portrays them. We found that survivors were negatively impacted by the media’s portrayal of sexual violence. This led us to analyse the language and editorial choices in UK print media.
Language is still heavily focussed on the perpetrator and it’s clear that editorial choices such as headlines and pictures used are chosen to sensationalise and prioritise clicks/ad revenue. They are not mindful of how the content might impact survivors. We were shocked by how little care was given to the reader – no trigger warnings were used across 43 articles and only one featured helpline information.”
At the end of May 2023, the RPC group presented their key findings in the form on an exhibition at GCRC newly opened centre. During this memorable exhibition, the group not only spoke about the project details itself, but also the personal impacts their research has had, sharing recommendations they believe are vital for positive change to be made.
The future of RPC
We’re hopeful that the Rosey Project Community important research into the media from 2017 to 2023 will go beyond their time with us and contribute to raising awareness about this ongoing issue. There’s a hope the group will deliver workshops alongside the Rosey Project Prevention Team as their reports and exhibition are key turning points for survivors in Scotland, if not for the entire UK.
Thank you again to our amazing RPC volunteers.
