My Body Back

Project supporting survivors of sexual assault in the United Kingdom

The My Body Back Project was set up in London by Pavan Amara in August 2014. First intended as a website and support network for survivors of sexual assault, it has expanded its scope into first a sexual health clinic and then other projects such as a maternity clinic, a photography project and various workshops.

Foundation

Having survived a sexual assault in her teens, Pavan Amara realised in her twenties she was having trouble accessing healthcare and when she spoke to other women she realised many people had issues resulting from trauma. She therefore decided to set up the My Body Back Project in August 2014. She intended it to provide a website which could be useful for survivors of sexual assault and also a support network.^[1] She also wanted it to help medical professionals help survivors better. My Body Back became a group which would provide healthcare and also sex and relationship support groups aimed specifically at women and trans people who have survived sexual assault.^[2] It is a non-profit organisation.^[2] Amara wanted to provide physical and practical resources.^[3]

Clinic

After one year, the project set up a clinic intended for survivors of sexual assault. It was the first of its kind in the world.^[4] The clinic was funded by the National Health Service (NHS) and located at St Bartholomew's Hospital in London.^[5] The clinic provided testing for sexually transmitted infections, cervical screening and birth control advice.^[6]

The clinic opened a branch in Glasgow in 2018. The project was funded by the Scottish Government. It was to be run by NHS doctors, nurses, counsellors, administrators and volunteers from Rape Crisis Scotland who had been trained by members of the London clinic.^[7]

Maternity clinic

Having heard from women that they would like to have a maternity clinic set up exclusively for survivors of sexual assault, My Body Back set up the UK's first such clinic in 2016 together with Barts Health NHS Trust. It was established at the Royal London Hospital.^[8] Amara commented that "a number of the women told me how isolated they felt throughout pregnancy and labour and how it had triggered them into remembering their experience of being raped."^[9]

Women at the clinic could attend antenatal classes, have gynaecological examinations, and receive psychological support from trained staff, such as midwives, pediatricians and psychologists.^[8]^[10] The users also had access to self-test kits to avoid being touched.^[6] This was helpful since sometimes women being examined were being unintentionally put into positions or situations which brought back the trauma of assault. Amara runs the clinic alongside gynaecologist and obstetrician Dr Rehan Khan and consultant midwife Inderjeet Kaur. On the topic of why nobody had set up such a clinic before, Amara commented "I really don't think it's the fault of health workers, because everybody's been wonderful helping me do this."^[11]

Other projects

My Body Back began a photography project with photographer Rankin in 2016, focused upon aiding women recover from sexual assault. Rankin took extreme close-up shots of temporary tattoos on the women's skin which gave messages of strength and solidarity such as 'Nobody is entitled to my body but me'.^[12] Rankin commented "I was truly moved by this project and humbled to be involved. The sheer strength of these women, after what they have been through, left me speechless."^[13]

'Notes of Love' was a project in which people write anonymous messages to survivors of sexual assault, which are then distributed by Rape Crisis England and Wales.^[4] Amara invited students from 20 universities to participate in the project.^[14] Another project was Café V, a regular Saturday morning meeting in a sex shop in Shoreditch, East London, where women could discuss how to enjoy sexual intercourse again after experiencing rape.^[4] The café was trans-inclusive.^[14]

The Clit List is a pornography resource for survivors of sexual assault.^[2] It aims to provide detailed reviews of pornographic films, so that people can decide if they want to watch them or not without triggering.^[3]

References

Citations

^ Okyere 2015.
^ ^a ^b ^c Mosthof 2016.
^ ^a ^b Reghay 2016.
^ ^a ^b ^c Diu 2015.
^ Oppenheim 2015.
^ ^a ^b Ghura 2016.
^ Adams 2018.
^ ^a ^b Warren 2016.
^ ITV 2016.
^ Admin 2016.
^ Capelin 2016.
^ McDonald 2019.
^ Marie Claire 2016.
^ ^a ^b Bates 2015.

Bibliography

Adams, Lucy (19 February 2018), "New clinic for victims of sexual violence", BBC Scotland, archived from the original on 21 April 2019
Admin (29 July 2016). "UK's First Maternity Clinic For Rape And Sexual Assault Victims Opens". Red Online. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
Bates, Laura (2015), "How can women reclaim their bodies after sexual assault?", Guardian, archived from the original on 20 June 2016
Capelin, Izzy (30 June 2016). "Meet the woman who's redefining healthcare for rape survivors". Cosmopolitan. Archived from the original on 23 September 2019. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
Diu, Nisha Lilia (28 August 2015), "Sex after rape: the woman helping rape victims enjoy sex again", Telegraph, archived from the original on 1 July 2019
Ghura, Jasleen (20 June 2016), "Pavan Amara, herself a rape victim, helps women reclaim their bodies and regain self-respect", Times of India, archived from the original on 27 September 2017, retrieved 23 September 2019
ITV (29 July 2016). "First UK maternity clinic for rape and sexual assault victims opens". ITV News. Archived from the original on 9 May 2019. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
Marie Claire (29 July 2016). "Rankin helps rape victims in My Body Back shoot". Marie Claire. Archived from the original on 23 September 2019. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
McDonald, Candide (24 April 2019). "The wonderful world of Rankin". Capture Magazine. Archived from the original on 23 September 2019. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
Mosthof, Mariella (1 September 2016). "This Site Helps Rape Survivors Find Adult Films". Bustle. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
Okyere, Elaine (5 August 2015). "Reclaiming your body after rape". BBC News. Archived from the original on 16 July 2019. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
Oppenheim, Maya (28 May 2015). "Meet the Woman Behind the UK's First Specialist Clinic for Women Trying to Reclaim Their Bodies After Being Raped". Vice. Archived from the original on 23 September 2019. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
Reghay, Nayomi (16 August 2016). "The Clit List: A Porn Resource Site for Survivors of Sexual Assault". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on 24 January 2017. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
Warren, Penny (1 August 2016). "UK's first maternity service for rape survivors opens in London". BMJ. 354: i4241. doi:10.1136/bmj.i4241. PMID 27480969. S2CID 19430984.