| |
Write a letter to your MP
It's easy!!
Your letter needn't be long. It needn't be detailed. But a personally written, individual letter to your MP may help to raise awareness about rape, encourage better provision and protection for women and persuade the government to invest more time and more resources.
It's worth doing.
Who is my MP, anyway?
Phone the House of Commons Information office 020 7219 4272 (with your postcode), or ask your local library.
Use this link to go to the UK Parliament's MP locator service
The Basics
Be brief. MPs are busy and get hundred of letters. One side is about right. A longer letter gives the MP much more to disagree with, too.
Be factual. Get some facts from our website and think about them before you write. You'll be more confident that way.
Be polite. No-one likes being attacked or getting aggressive letters.
Be natural. Use your own personal style.
Be positive. Write as though your MP is a person who is open to a reasoned argument, which of course s/he is.
The Practicalities
Find out your MP's name and address her or him personally: Dear Mrs Thatcher (not Dear MP, or Dear Margaret Thatcher, or even Dear Margaret...)
If you want to say something about yourself, then that's fine - maybe something about your background or something which shows why you're a concerned individual.
But again - keep it short.
Then make your case, clearly, calmly, persuasively. Try to write as though what you're asking or saying is perfectly reasonable.
If you can target your letter specifically at the MP, such as praising his or her good track record on women’s issues or campaigns, then great!
Round off with a simple conclusion which shows that you expect a reply. 'I look forward to hearing from you' will be fine.
Sign it with your own signature and name.
Help!! What do I say?
It's very much up to you. An individually written letter is much more effective than a standard one.
You could ask your MP to:
join the Truth About Rape campaign
visit their local rape crisis group (if there is one)
consider the lack of funding available to rape crisis groups and raise the issue in Parliament
meet you at her/his constituency advice surgery to discuss the issue further
complain about any current media article which unfairly represents women in rape cases.
Hang on...Should I email?
No. Many MPs do not read emails. Emails may not be taken seriously even if your MP has an email address - a third don't. And an email does not prove who you are. The convention is that MPs will not respond to letters from people who are not their constituents, unless the MP has a particular responsibility and you're writing to her or him in that capacity.
It's also easier to ignore an email.
What should I do when I get a reply?
Send a positive, appreciative letter back. If the reply doesn't go far enough, or if it disappoints you, then write again.
And if I don't get a reply?
You can write again, enclosing a copy of the first letter, if you like.
But don't despair, because your MP will probably have read the letter, or someone will have done, and if it's one of several, it will have made an impact. You've done your bit and someone will be that little more aware of rape.
Should I mention that I'm a member of the Truth About Rape?
Yes, if you like. This may help to ensure that the contents of your letter are taken seriously. It can help by showing MPs that a wide spread of people are members of TAR.
You could give the website address of TAR, either as a short paragraph within the letter, or as part of an appendix or attachment.
There. You've done it!
As reported rapes rise by 14% and conviction rates fall below 6 percent, take five minutes to send your MP a fax to complain about the current position:
Fax your MP
You might want to point out some of the following facts (which come from the Home Office's own British Crime Survey):
• Around 1 in 10 women (9.7%) said they had experienced some form of sexual victimisation (including rape) since age 16.
• Around 1 in 20 women (4.9%) said they had been raped on at least one occasion since age 16.
• Approximately three-quarters of a million women (754,000) have been raped on at least one occasion since age 16. This includes approximately 61,000 victimised in the last year.
•Women are most likely to be sexually attacked by men they know in some way, most often partners (32%) or acquaintances (22%).
•'Current partners’ were responsible for 45 per cent of rapes.
•'Strangers’ were only responsible for 8 per cent of rapes.
You might also like to tell the MP about the state of rape crisis services in your area.
Services available from rape crisis groups can include telephone helplines, face to face counselling, and advocacy and/or chaperone services for victims reporting to the police or going to court.
But not every survivor will have a group close to them. For example there are no centres in Leeds or Birmingham. It's a geographical lottery. Rape Crisis Centres receive over 80,000 calls a year.
And many services receive no funding. Some areas operate only with trained volunteers. Some helplines are under-staffed so they cannot provide a round-the clock response. Some are open until 10 at night, others only in the day. But some women want immediate support - and may give up if they cannot get help soon after the rape.
Some local centres are better funded and are supported by their local authorities. But most struggle constantly with funding and a few have been forced to shut down altogether.
Contact your local Rape Crisis group and see if you can help!!
Write a press release or 'letter to
the editor' about the TAR campaign. Be sure that it is brief and answers
the questions who, what, where, when and why in the very beginning. Try to
focus on a unique aspect of your campaign, as journalists are more likely to
run the story if you make it particularly interesting to the general public.
See "How to Write a Press Release" in Amnesty International’s
Tools for Activists
Organise a TRUTH hearing. A hearing is an
effective method of building awareness of violence against women, breaking the
myths and demanding accountability from police and other agencies. It also can
call for implementation from governments of effective mechanisms to promote
and protect the justice for and human rights of women.
Organise a TRUTH space. Contact
shops, libraries, local government buildings, local radio stations, etc. in
your area and see if they would be willing to host a "violence free space."
Activities for this "space" might include, giving women an opportunity to talk
with a rape crisis worker or just give out TAR postcards.
Organise a TRUTH bookday. Ask your local
library or bookshop to feature (for example, set aside a table near the
entrance) books by women authors, books written about violence against women,
or books which focus on key women figures in history, politics and literature.
Organise a TRUTH report. Compile
statistical data that reflects the number of women in your community who were
raped during the past year, or even longer. You could information from the
police or even just collect your own by monitoring press reports in your local
newspapers. Display this information in a public space using creative
methods i.e. artwork displayed in a local museum or store, a song which could
be played on the local radio, a series of articles printed in the local
newspaper etc. You could try modelling your event on the Silent Witness
Exhibit, an initiative in the United States that creates a visual
representation of women who have died due to violence by using life-size
wooden cutouts of women’s silhouettes. See
www.silentwitness.net
for more information.
| |
