SPECIAL REPORT: At the end of March, St Mary’s Sexual Assault Referral Centre will move into a brand new clinic.
Next door, a fish tank gently bubbles, fish slowly gliding. Sofas and chairs covered with fluffy cushions and blankets give way to tables lined with children's toys and books. This children's examination suite only exists for the grimmest of circumstances - but every effort has been made to lighten the surroundings.
Often the most urgent cases are those considered ‘high-risk’ for HIV, for which potentially life-saving treatment must be administered within 72 hours - and the sooner the better. “It's not that anyone else is less important,” she said. “It's just that everybody's got a different need.” “It can be a really positive factor in their journey, their psychological recovery, and can really have a big impact in terms of how they can engage positively in future relationships.”
A lot of the work Evie’s team does is focused around ensuring clients have a realistic understanding of how courts in the UK look and work, and what will be expected of them if their case goes to trial. “If that person who has assaulted you is nearby, you might get nervous, you may get upset, it may stop you being able to say what you really want to say,” Evie explained. “That day, your power is in your words. It might be that being in a different room makes it more powerful because you can get them out.”
“What happened to me was awful, but they've helped me realise that you can try and move past it,” she told the M.E.N. “There is still a life after all of that. And you don't need to dwell on it because I can still go and create my own life afterwards.”
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