How were organisations that support survivors of sexual abuse and rape impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic?

Abstract

This thesis explored how organisations that support survivors of sexual abuse and rape had been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Research reviewing organisation’s supporting survivors during the pandemic have been previously published by organisations such as Victim Support. Previous research reviewed the larger organisations across the United Kingdom, yet little research had been published on how Covid-19 had affected the smaller organisations. This research study focused on three organisations based in the South East of England and a total of 21 participants were interviewed. Three research questions were constructed based on the gaps in research shown in previous studies. These questions include (1) What effect did the Covid-19 pandemic have on organisations that provide support to survivors of sexual abuse and rape? (2) To what extent did the pandemic alter the support of those survivors? (3) What could be done in the future to better support these organisations and survivors during and after a pandemic? Using the theoretical perspective of phenomenology, the qualitative data was collected and analysed thematically. Findings from the data identified four main themes including funding, staff training, communication between organisations and alternate contact methods. Within these themes it was uncovered that there were issues with a lack of training for staff transitioning to the new contact methods to provide support to survivors. These contact methods included online video call support and telephone support. Staff showed concerns with the online and telephone contact methods, including the safety of the survivors within their home due to living with perpetrators, and managing the survivor’s trauma responses. Overall, participants from the study preferred the contact method of face-to-face support, however the additions of online video calls and telephone support do have their place in providing support.

Date of Award	2024
Original language	English