Cassidy McIntosh received the accolade this morning – six weeks after setting up Jersey Action Against Rape (JAAR), which operates a helpline staffed by specially trained volunteers.
Cassidy (27) says she was raped by a man she knew following a night out with friends in 2012. Her alleged attacker was never charged.
- Ask. Listen. Respect – Jersey Police website about rape and consent. (Tel 612612)
- Victim Support in Jersey – Free and confidential help to victims of crime. (Tel 440496)
- Jersey Womens Refuge – Help and support for victims of domestic abuse. (Tel: 0800 7356836)
After learning that he would not be prosecuted because of the high burden of proof required for criminal rape cases, she filed a civil claim against him. In December 2013 he settled out of court, paying her more than £150,000 in damages and costs. He always denied the allegations.
Cassidy used part of the money to set up Jersey Action Against Rape to help victims of rape and sexual assault.
The Inspirational Woman of the Year award was presented by Chantelle Hitchcock from Barclays at a business breakfast at the Radisson Blu Hotel in aid of the Jersey Women’s Refuge, which was attended by 200 people.
On accepting the award, Cassidy said: ‘This award is for a huge amount of people. It is a massive team effort and this is for everyone involved, especially our volunteers. My mum Sara and dad Alick are a huge part of the charity.’
Speaking afterwards, she said: ‘It is incredibly overwhelming to receive this award and one of the big advantages is it will raise awareness of the charity.
‘In our first week we had over 20 calls, which showed the need is there. This helps us to keep reaching out to people who need it.’
This year over 30 nominations were received, which were reviewed by a judging panel made up of Rozelle Sutherland MBE, chairwoman of Jersey Women’s Refuge, Chantelle Hitchcock from event sponsor Barclays, and Joanne Nash, last year’s winner.
The three finalists were Pam Evans, Cassidy McIntosh and Sara Crocker.
Pam Evans set up a charity to enable disabled people to learn how to drive.
Sara Crocker set up the Grace Crocker Family Support Foundation, which supports families of Jersey children in UK hospitals with accommodation and flight costs. She set it up following the death of her daughter Grace, at 11 weeks.
For more information about the charity, click here . The helpline number is 482800 and people can also email help@jaar.je.
- 2.5 per cent of females and 0.4 per cent of males have been a victim of a sexual offence (or an attempted sexual offence) in the previous 12 month (based on aggregated data from the Crime Survey for England and Wales in 2009/10, 2010/11 and 2011/12)
- This represents around 473,000 adults being victims of sexual offences (around 404,000 females and 72,000 males) on average per year. These experiences span the full spectrum of sexual offences, ranging from the most serious offences of rape and sexual assault, to other sexual offences like indecent exposure and unwanted touching.
- This equates to 820 females and 130 males in Jersey on average per year (based on a female population, aged between 14 and 64, of 33,000 and a male population, aged between 14 and 64, of 32,000)
- It is estimated that 0.5 per cent of females reported being a victim of the most serious offences of rape or sexual assault by penetration in the previous 12 months, equivalent to around 85,000 victims on average per year. Among males, less than 0.1 per cent (around 12,000) reported being a victim of the same types of offences in the previous 12 months.
- In Jersey (based on the assumptions above) this equates to 164 females and 32 males.
- Around one in 20 females (aged 16 to 59) reported being a victim of a most serious sexual offence since the age of 16. Extending this to include other sexual offences such as sexual threats, unwanted touching or indecent exposure, this increased to one in five females reporting being a victim since the age of 16.
- Between January 2011 and May 2012 there were 5,651 prosecutions for rape in England and Wales and 35 prosecutions for making false allegations of rape, indicating that less than 1 per cent of rape reports are false.
- Around 90 per cent of victims of the most serious form of sexual offences knew the perpetrator, compared with less than half for other sexual offences.
[breakout title=”COMMENT: What the JEP thinks”]
Cassidy McIntosh is a worthy winner of this years Inspirational Woman of the Year. In a shocking and moving interview published in the JEP earlier this year, the 27-year-old described being raped by someone she trusted as a friend. She has since found the strength to turn that nightmare into something positive by launching a charity to help rape survivors. She has become a role model for many women.
Ms McIntoshs alleged attacker was never charged and so, like too many victims, she has never seen the man she says attacked her brought to justice.
In the first week after the charity, Jersey Action Against Rape, was launched, it received 20 calls. Its work will help to establish the real number of women raped in Jersey. The figure is certainly far higher than prosecution rates would suggest.
When there is a clearer picture, it might convince some that more needs to be done to tackle this terrible crime.
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[breakout title=”VIDEO: A national advertising campaign aimed at preventing teenage rape”]
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[breakout title=”Common myths about rape”]
- The woman did not get hurt or fight back so it can’t have been rape – in fact, many people who experience sexual violence describe freezing or feeling paralysed with shock or fear.
- Women are most likely to be raped outside, by strangers in dark alleyways – in reality, only around 10 per cent of rapes are committed by strangers, most are commited by known people, often someone the survivor has previously trusted or even loved.
- If the victim didn’t complain immediately it wasn’t rape – in fact, the trauma of rape can cause feelings of shame and guilt which might inhibit a victim from making a complaint.
- The woman was drunk or took drugs so didn’t say no – actually, the law says that if a person is unconscious or their judgement is impaired by alcohol or drugs then legally they are unable to give consent, and having non-consensual sex with a person who is intoxicated is rape.
- Rape only happens to young, attractive women – in fact, people of all ages, classes, culture, ability, sexuality, race and faith are raped.
- Men of certain races and backgrounds are more likely to commit sexual violence – in reality, police say there is no ‘typical rapist’.
- Once a man is sexually aroused he cannot help himself and he has to have sex – in fact, most rapes are premeditated, either wholly or partially planned in advance.
- Only gay men get raped or rape men – in reality, men who rape other men are often heterosexual and rape other men as part of their violence and need for power, dominance and control.
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