About

Project Background

The survivor stories presented here were developed from in-depth interviews and workshops undertaken with some of the participants in the Scottish Government funded Justice Journey’s research project. This project explored male and female rape and sexual assault survivor experiences of the criminal justice process and it culminated in the publication of the report, Justice Journeys: Informing policy and practice through lived experience of victim‐survivors of rape and serious sexual assault, in August 2019. During this research, and our earlier Evaluation of the Rape Crisis Scotland National Advocacy Project, survivors shared with us their remarkable stories of their journeys into, through and beyond the criminal justice process. Through these projects it became clear to us that those we interviewed had much to say about their lives and their experiences with and beyond their encounters with the criminal justice process.

Conducting research on sexual violence and experiences with the criminal justice system is undoubtedly a sensitive and challenging process. For understandable reasons, many survivors may not wish to recall their experiences far less share them with a researcher. The willingness of survivors to come forward and speak with us during our research was therefore unexpected. This told us something about their desire to have their stories heard. Also apparent was the desire of those interviewed to help improve the experiences of others who may find themselves in a similar situation. 

In bearing witness to these stories, we began to talk about how these experiences could best be heard and by whom. As academic researchers, written reports and articles are familiar to us. In beginning to explore more creative and visual ways to represent survivor accounts we moved into territory that was unfamiliar and daunting, but that also felt important if these accounts were to reach a wider audience. 

This project has taken far longer that we had anticipated. We are therefore very grateful to all of the participants for their remarkable patience in sticking with the process and for sharing their experiences with us. We would also like to thank Mhairi Moodie Bell for her valuable assistance with photography. 

The Justice Journeys: Survivor Stories Project is coordinated by Michele Burman, Lisa Bradley and Oona Brooks-Hay at the Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research, University of Glasgow. 

The project website was designed by Lisa Bradley. 

The Justice Journeys: Survivor Stories Project has received funding from an ESRC Impact Acceleration Account at the University of Glasgow. The initial report, Justice Journeys: Informing policy and practice through lived experience of victim‐survivors of rape and serious sexual assault, was funded by a Scottish Government, Justice Analytical Services grant.

Use of Website

We anticipate that this website could provide an excellent learning resource for those working with and supporting survivors of rape and sexual assault. We’d be pleased for the materials to be used in this way. We are keen, however, to ensure appropriate attribution and the integrity of survivors’ stories. Please get in touch to inform us of your intended use of the materials, and to see how we may of assistance.