Improving access to sexual violence support for marginalised individuals: findings from the lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans* and the black and minority ethnic communities

Abstract

Statistics suggest that survivors of sexual violence from black and minority ethnic (BME) and lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans* (LGBT) communities are less likely to access specialist support than other members of the general population. This article highlights the specific barriers that these communities face in accessing support services and how they could be addressed by these services, using data from a case study conducted in the city of Brighton and Hove, UK. It also takes the original step of comparing questionnaire and interview data from survivors with questionnaire and interview data from practitioners working with the BME and LGBT communities. Recommendations are identified for sexual violence services and social workers working with these survivors that are missing from the existing literature. These include a critique of the empowerment discourse commonly employed by support services, the use of intersectional feminist theory to inform practice and recommendations for ‘community-embedded’ support services.