This article contains content relating to rape and sexual abuse. Links within this article will take you to immediate phone and self-referral services should you require them.
Devon Rape Crisis is a charity that offers confidential, professional support to survivors of rape and sexual abuse in Devon. I spoke to CEO Davina Cull and Head of Service Delivery Josceline Leicester, about the support the charity can provide for Exeter University students.
Devon Rape Crisis are not just a crisis service, they offer ongoing support to those who have experienced sexual violence in any form, now or in the past. About 10% of the people they support come from the University of Exeter. With a huge student population in Exeter, Joss said “unfortunately rape and sexual abuse is happening in young people’s lives,” and this figure is reflective of that.
Devon Rape Crisis want desperately to help, but their lack of funding has led to a huge waiting list and many have felt unsupported by the charity. Davina and Joss shared how important it is for people to feel seen and heard during the waiting process, something they are working to improve. But they are experiencing huge funding issues and as a charity, they would need to grow by at least double to meet the full demand they know exists.
Many have shared with the charity that the feeling of waiting is painful. It leaves many isolated as they often find it difficult to speak to their usual support system about these experiences. Devon Rape Crisis understand this; 80% of the women who work for the charity are survivors of rape and sexual abuse themselves. When speaking to Davina and Joss, I noticed the power and drive that comes from personal experience.
The charity leaders shared that whilst the University of Exeter gives them some money, and they appreciate the long-term positive relationship, it doesn’t begin to cover the support that students require: “it’s a small amount of money in amongst a large amount of people who need it, and it’s not sufficient”.
There is a lack of funding to the charity sector in general at the moment, with many charities having to make cuts to their teams, or to the support they provide- Devon Rape Crisis is currently battling this challenge. “What we know of survivors is that they want an honest appraisal of what’s happening- the support is there, but there is a wait.”
“What we know of survivors is that they want an honest appraisal of what’s happening- the support is there, but there is a wait.”
“And when we give people honesty, they can make choices for themselves.”
Davina and Joss highlighted that rape, and finding support for it, is political. Davina said: “If you want it to be a government initiative that everybody is entitled to support, it needs to be a statutary responsibility, and the government do not make it statutary. Because funding [to Devon Rape Crisis] is charitable, unless the government say: “you must provide in your local area, sufficient support to survirors of rape and sexual abuse, and here is the money to do it”, that’s completely different, and at the moment they don’t do that. That’s why it’s so political, it’s a political issue.”
I mentioned how sad it is that supporting people who are suffering is actually a political conversation, not a personal one, Davina said “services like ours are only one thing, but community is equally important. Finding solidarity, and mutual support amongst survivors who are your peers, it’s a really important thing.”
Rape shouldn’t be politicised, but it is. It has to be. It should be understood, and people should be able to get support easily, but the words we use to describe rape, and the culture of having to “say no” have led to many feeling unsure of what happened to them, unaware of the language to articulate their pain.
“We wouldn’t say, ‘let’s soften somebody who’s been stabbed with a knife’, we wouldn’t wrap that up in cotton wool and make it nice and tidy. Rape is a violent act, and it should make people feel uncomfortable, it’s frankly bloody awful.”
Josceline Leicester
We have this tendency to shy away from the word ‘rape’, even I do. When I asked Davina and Joss about it, they were silent for a moment, clearly this was something they come across often, “this is the problem, Katie,” said Joss,” is that we don’t use the right language, we try and soften something that is a violence. We wouldn’t say, ‘let’s soften somebody who’s been stabbed with a knife’, we wouldn’t wrap that up in cotton wool and make it nice and tidy. Rape is a violent act, and it should make people feel uncomfortable, it’s frankly bloody awful.”
Whilst its uncomfortable for people to talk about, it matters that we do.
Davina pointed out that the same can be said for phrases like “child pornography” when in reality is is “child rape, and child abuse.”
“From a language perspective, if you don’t call it what it is, people determine whether somebody deserved it, or if it wasn’t as bad as it is, we need to just say it as it is.” If you don’t determine what rape is, by using the correct language, then people start to question it, they decipher the cracks in the language as cracks in the story. Nobody deserves that treatment.
So no, rape shouldn’t be politicised, but it is. It has to be.
A huge part of recovery is learning that victims have power too. Something that took all your power, gives you the drive to make real change, to educate and to help others who may have experienced the same trauma. “This is about solidarity, it’s about people coming together, not only to heal together, but also to be active together against it”, shared Davina, “that actually, women have got power too”. Davina said that this power can be seen “when women march together, when they stand together, when they’re in solidarity with each other.” There’s a lot to be said about taking action in the aftermath of a violence.
The Reclaim the Night march through Exeter city centre on Thursday 5th December was a great example of people from all walks of life, including many students from the University, standing up for violences that are often kept quiet.
“I think having the ability to action it and to be a vocal voice through your student unions and through your groups is essential too.” Davina said the role of community, even just being present with people who have been through the same pain as you, is incredibly powerful.
However, as a survivor, it’s okay to not be ready for activism. Recovery is a conflicting process and Devon Rape Crisis will be able to help you understand that you can give yourself the time you deserve to heal.
Since this interview, Devon Rape Crisis have had to close their previously underused regional helpline, and have closed their waiting list for therapy. This does not mean that people can’t be referred to the charity, but, in an attempt to help as many people as possible, they have had to make cuts. In a statement on 10th February 2025, the charity said: “Despite facing significant funding cuts of around one third for 2025/26, Devon Rape Crisis and Sexual Abuse Services is excited to be purposefully moving forward to become a charity with a greater focus on enabling our community of survivors to access more immediate support. We have completed our service transformation work and are now seeing survivors 80% quicker than we were able to before, offering immediate comfort, solidarity, and help. We have also maximised our resources to be able to help 33% more people. We are proud of this achievement and recognise the effort that our staff and volunteers have put into achieving this. We continue to see powerful life changing outcomes for Survivors living in the Devon and Torbay area. However, as we face a drastic cut in our proposed funding next year, we do still need to make some really difficult decisions to secure our future. The first is that from the 28th of February 2025 our helpline and email support service will close.”
So, what are the options for students who are suffering because of rape or sexual abuse?
Whilst the regional helpline is closed, you can always call the 24/7 National Rape Crisis Support Line on 0808 500 2222. This offers confidential emotional support, information and referral details. Regardless of whether you’re on a waiting list, receiving support, or could use hearing someone share that they understand, these two numbers will be really helpful for you.
You can also find out more about the University of Exeter’s Nightline, a call service for student, in my interview with Nightline’s president. If you find yourself needing to speak to someone confidentially in the evening, the volunteers at Nightline are a great place to go for this support. The phone number for Nightline can be found on the back of your student card. You can also go to the University of Exeter’s wellbeing services.
Devon Rape Crisis have been working to “create different opportunities to bring survivors together, because hopefully that has a lasting affect aswell,” said Joss, “that you realise you’re not alone”.
“It’s really important to remember that we’re often told what we need before we’ve even understood what we need ourselves, so everybody will think counselling is the way forward, but that doesn’t take into account how ready you are for it.” Devon Rape Crisis provide other forms of support, which have far shorter waiting lists than therapy, and “students are more likely to get through to our services quicker, if they have a broader concept of what they might need, and go with it”.
Psycho-education, can provide practical tools and strategies to help you realise you’re responses are normal. Joss said many people come to these sessions and say “”I just felt like I was going mad,” but then they realise that it was normal”.
Dartmoor walks, open water swimming, trips to visit beehives and craft evenings are just some of the activities Devon Rape Crisis have recently offered to survivors; and survivors can always come together themselves. The advice from the charity leaders was to try to talk to people you trust, to let them help you through this time. Talking itself is a huge step, and Devon Rape Crisis can definitely offer that conversational support through group work and shared activities, but finding support for yourself, if you have those resources available to you, is also a very good idea. During the waiting process for therapy, they will also check-in by phone to make sure you’re okay and be there to chat if you need.
Support is available, and Devon Rape Crisis can be a part of that, but they can’t do it all. After my conversation with these two wonderful people, I’m frustrated that there isn’t more space and funding for the support they want to offer. But with every conversation, with every call for help, every march, every question of our culture, every loud voice, change feels a little closer. For today, let’s let that be a win.
To self refer for support, click here.
To find a self help guide for survivors, click here.
This article was amended to include recent updates to the support Devon Rape Crisis can provide, on 16th February 2025.
