We believe you. Three of the most powerful words that can be said to a survivor of sexual violence. We live in a society where women and girls are often not believed.

In 2022 67,169 rapes were recorded by police. By the end of the year, charges has been brought in just 1,276 (1.9%) of the cases. – Rape Crisis England and Wales

We offer independent advice and support to women and girls at every stage of their journey through the criminal justice system and this support starts with ‘We believe you’. One lesser known aspect of cases is the gathering and use of third party material which can be evidence from your phone, for example texts or WhatsApp conversations. It can also be material from your medical or social records.

Laura Caithness, an Independent Sexual Violence Adviser (ISVA) explains why there’s a need to focus on this aspect of rape cases:

“We chose to highlight the aspect of third-party material because the women we work with often tell us how confusing it is. We know from our work that people aren’t always given the right advice at the right time. Knowing your rights can be really overwhelming in an already complicated process so we wanted to create a film to support people and help them to have a better understanding of what to expect and where to get more support.”

The majority of films created by DigitalMe feature people’s lived experiences and are often told by the individuals themselves, with an avatar to protect their anonymity. This time, DigitalMe have used a different process.

In this case a writer has scripted a story based on real experiences, not telling one person’s lived experience but expressing the collective experiences of multiple survivors. This was developed in close consultation with Laura so that all facts are accurate and that the fictionalised account still represents real women and their real experiences.