Women Against Rape’s London funding was cut – we urgently need your help!

You may already know that last month WAR, the best known anti-rape organisation in London, which provides the only comprehensive service, suffered a disastrous 100% cut by the Association of London Government (ALG). This was forced through by a block vote of New Labour councillors on the Grants Committee – despite opposition from non-Labour councillors, who asked them to pay heed to the over 60 letters of support from individual survivors, service organisations, lawyers, nurses . . . One councillor, the only wheelchair-user, asked where women with disabilities and women seeking asylum could go for help. She got no reply. Other councillors pleaded with Labour at least to cover WAR for six months out of the £400,000 contingency fund for women’s services. But the Labour decision to cut WAR, clearly taken before the meeting, was final. Supporters of WAR spoke out in protest and shock.

Since 1976 getting justice for all women has been the backbone of our work. We prioritised making our Centre fully wheelchair accessible. We’ve been able to help thousands, starting with those rape survivors who are most likely to be denied our rights because we are working class, women of colour, asylum seekers, under-age girls, lesbian, have a history of mental illness, have had brushes with the law, or are vulnerable or discriminated against in other ways. Women must assume that the aim in cutting WAR is that women, especially those of us who are most vulnerable to injustice, will be less well defended against rapists!

WAR has proposed and lobbied for changes in the law, demanding better treatment for rape victims, and that rapists are properly and effectively prosecuted. Our 26-year track record of legal firsts include getting rape in marriage recognised as a crime (1991), the first successful private prosecution for rape (1995), establishing case law on asylum for rape survivors (1998), and publicising the unvarnished truth about the obstacles faced by survivors who report rape.

WAR’s work was never criticised at the meeting where we were cut. The Chair said our work was good but “We can’t keep funding the same old organisations.” He claimed they were funding “more innovative” services instead. But many of the groups and services ALG funds are neither new nor effective – nor easy to access.

Women know that when they’re trying to get their attacker prosecuted, counselling alone is just not enough. Winning justice is the greatest healer. But it is counselling – without the pursuit of justice – which is being funded.

Uniquely, our support for rape survivors coming to terms with their experience combines counselling, health information and legal advice, backing women when they ask the criminal justice system to prosecute rapists, or when claiming compensation or asylum. WAR speaks out when rape and domestic violence survivors receive discriminatory treatment from police or Crown Prosecution Service or immigration authorities. If WAR were to shut down as a result of Labour’s vote, justified criticisms of police and Home Office would shut down with us.

Women have been writing to their local papers, and London women are complaining to both their local ALG representative and the Chair of the Grants Committee, Councillor Raj Chandarana (Croydon). ALG can give you their contact details: 020 7934 9999. If you choose to do any or all of this, please send us a copy of your letters.

We urgently need your support. We are taking legal advice about the way this decision was made, and we are looking into other sources of funding. But we need money now to keep going while we secure our future. We aim to raise £56,000 – the amount ALG refused to fund – a modest amount for the enormous amount of work we do and compared to what ALG awarded other groups.

Please help by raising money for our WAR Chest:

· Ask your community groups and organisations – NUS branches, church groups, trade union branches . . . – to let all their members know and to raise money. Sincere thanks to the Greater London Pensioners Association TUC conference and Camden postal workers for their collections, as well as to individual donors.

· Ask your local paper to include an appeal for donations.

· Organise a fund-raising benefit event, jumble sale, Christmas party . . .

· Show a video and take a collection – a great way to gather people together to raise awareness, to open a discussion and take a collection. You can use our hard-hitting award-winning 90-second video about date rape to show. A much-commended 30-minute video discussion between victims and health professionals, Health Services for Rape Survivors, is also available. And we are making a new film about WAR’s work.

· Supporters are pledging weekly or monthly donations to WAR. Our bank account details are: Unity Trust Bank, Brindleyplace, 4 Oozells Square, Birmingham B1 2HB a/c 53110989 Sort code 086001

· We are printing badges and T-shirts that you could sell to help raise money.

· We welcome any other fundraising ideas you have.



All donations are gratefully received. Please make cheques out to Women Against Rape. Your support is vital, part of our struggle against rape – this funding cut attacks all women, hitting hardest those of us who have least access to justice, protection and compensation. We are determined that ALG will not close us down. Help to spread the news by circulating this letter widely. Thank you to all those who have written letters of support, sent donations and supported us in other ways in this time of crisis.
Grand Christmas Fair & Jumble Sale to raise money for Women Against Rape (WAR) on Saturday 7th December.

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Grand Christmas Fair & Jumble Sale
Saturday 7th December 12-4pm

Crossroads Women's Centre, 230a Kentish Town Road NW5
(entrance in Caversham Road)
Buses C2, 46, 134, 214
Kentish Town Tube
Kentish Town & Kentish Town West overground
Entrance 20p, kids free! Refreshments

We are looking for donations of: Good quality jumble, Home-made cakes and snacks, Children's clothes, Household items, Books, Bric-a-brac, raffle, Second-hand computer equipment.

If you have anything you can donate, please let us know.

Tel (minicom/voice): 020 7482 2496

Email:  crossroadswomenscentre@compuserve.com

If possible please deliver to the Centre 2 - 6th December.
Cash/cheque donations for the "WAR Chest" gratefully received.