A sexual violence survivor has designed and launched a pin badge to raise funds for the Warrington-based charity that supported her.
Kez was sexually assaulted by a man known to her in September 2020. She didn’t give consent and has launched her badge as a way of reinforcing the message ‘No Means No’.
After her incident, Kez sought support from the Rape and Sexual Assault Support Centre (RASASC) who offer specialist sexual violence support across Cheshire, Warrington, St Helens, and Knowsley. As a way of giving back to this free service, she is giving any profits made from the sale of the badges to the charity.
She said: “The road to recovery has not been an easy one and it’s still ongoing, but with the help of the amazing charity RASASC, I am here today surviving.
“The charity has helped me immensely right from the moment I picked up the phone to when I finished my counselling. They helped me with organising all the medical things I had to deal with and informed me of things I had not even thought of.
“One part of the process I was really struggling with was how I wanted to report the assault, but RASASC stepped in and gave me an option that I was comfortable with. This allowed me to gain some of that control back that my attacker took away from me. I was then offered counselling to deal with all the things I needed to process. My counsellor made me see I was not to blame, and it was not my fault. I said NO and that meant NO!
“I am reassured that RASASC will always be there for me and this charity has made me realise that I am strong, brave and a survivor. Not everyone is as lucky as me and this is where the idea for the badge came in. I felt compelled to raise awareness of this amazing charity and all the challenging work they put into making sure you are supported and validated.”
Julie Evans, Director of Operations for RASASC Cheshire and Merseyside, said: “We are so pleased to hear that RASASC has been able to support Kez through this difficult time. The badges are incredibly thoughtful, and we will be supporting Kez throughout her project.”
Anyone interested in purchasing a No Means No badge, they are available to buy for £8.50 plus postage via Fratelli Sports, who has kindly offered to manage any sales of the badge. All profits from the sale of the badges are being donated to RASASC and you can purchase your very own here: https://fratellisports.co.uk/no-means-no-pin-badge-512-p.asp
If you or someone you know is a victim of sexual violence, contact the police on 101. In an emergency always dial 999.
If you don’t want to report the incident but would still like to seek support, you can contact RASASC on 0330 363 0063 or visit www.rapecentre.org.uk
