Kate Griffiths MP for Burton and Uttoxeter (Right) with Cathy Miles, Chief Executive of SARAC (Left)
A rape advice centre in Burton is working with Kate Griffiths MP, a survivor of sexual abuse, to shift the shame away from victims.
Ms Griffiths MP visited SARAC (Sexual Abuse Rape Advice Centre) and met the all-female team behind it for International Women’s Day.
Following a four-day fact-finding hearing in Derby Family Court, the Burton and Uttoxeter MP was found to have been domestically abused, coercively controlled and raped by her ex-husband and former MP Andrew Griffiths. She waived her right to anonymity so she could speak out about her experiences and raise awareness for others.
Along with SARAC Chief Executive Cathy Miles, Ms Griffiths said she wanted to use International Women’s Day to help victims speak out, free of shame.
Ms Griffiths said: “I know that you can worry about the judgements of others when talking about your situation. From my own personal experience, I was fortunate that I had my friends and family to turn to but a lot of people don’t have that and they need people to talk to outside the family who they can talk more openly with – someone like SARAC. I’m keen to support the work they are doing because we have got to help victims and survivors and end violence.”
Cathy praised Ms Griffiths for speaking so openly and said having her as a friend of the organisation would help other victims.
“Having someone high profile like Kate speaking about her experiences helps others realise that it can happen to anyone,” she said. “We deal a lot with historical and family abuse cases and we need to keep conversations open and going so people know that it is abuse and they can get support. That is what Kate is helping us to do. She is helping us shift the shame away from victims.”
As well as going to the courts to waive her anonymity, Ms Griffiths also pursued a separate case which she recently won, preventing her from having to pay half of the contact costs towards her ex-husband seeing their child. She hopes it sets a precedent for others survivors.
Now, she is turning her attention to the prohibitive costs of court cases, and spoke to SARAC about her aims to get the courts to rethink what she called the ‘contact at all costs’ approach of the justice system towards allowing perpetrators to see their children.
Ms Griffiths also said she was committed to challenging the system by which abusers can continue to call their victims back to court to vary contact arrangements.
She said: “It is a form of control abusers can continue to assert over their victims and it is wrong that, even if they have no hope of succeeding in varying the orders, they can continue to pull the strings and force their victim back into court, racking up the costs at the same time.”
Ms Griffiths mentioned the important work of SARAC and the help organisations like them require in the House of Commons. Cathy said: “Raising awareness of our work is hugely important and it helps us reach more people which is why we are so pleased to meet and talk with Kate.”
