Dear All
Danny Taggart and I have written a letter against the new Rape Clause which threatens to cause such psychological damage to survivors of rape and their children. You can read more about the Rape Clause here http://tinyurl.com/k9496fg and view the letter below.
We want it to be co-signed by as many psychologists as we can muster. If you wish to be signator, please could you email me Jay on [log in to unmask] by noon tomorrow (Saturday) stating
- your name (with title/s if applicable)
- your organisation (e.g. a uni, NHS service, vol org or private practice)
In the subject heading ideally!
Thank you so much and have a lovely weekend
Jay Watts
THE LETTER
As psychologists, we work with women who are survivors of rape. We see the devastation to mental health that these crimes cause and as a result are deeply concerned at the introduction of a ‘rape clause’ to the family welfare cap (‘Government under fire over new child tax credit form for rape victims’, Guardian, 6th April) this week. We strongly believe that the way in which this rape clause is to be administered will cause significant psychological harm. Given that a major reason survivors of rape do not come forward is because of a legitimate fear of not being believed, it is unhelpful that the new process will ask women to provide evidence to support their claim. It forces women to disclose details of their history to professionals for administrative reasons. This may cause flashbacks, renewed shame and emotional turmoil, and consequently effect how mothers bond with their children.
In addition, we also work with children and adults who have been born of rape. Finding this out and managing the identity crisis it can cause carries significant psychological risks. In being asked to name children born in this way, this policy takes any control over disclosure away from parents and denies children the right to privacy. Most mothers who have children as a result of a rape manage, admirably, to have a bond equal to that with children conceived by choice. To force mothers to remember the circumstances of conception for administrative reasons is unethical and potentially damaging to both mother and child.
Dr Danny Taggart, Clinical Psychologist, University of Essex
Dr Jay Watts, Clinical Psychologist, Queen Mary, University of London
________________________________
From: The UK Community Psychology Discussion List <[log in to unmask]> on behalf of Harper, Craig <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: 03 April 2017 10:30:47
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Study on offence-taking: Can you help?
Hi all,
Apologies for the mass email..
I've had a study approved by ethics looking at the types of things that different groups find offensive. I'm looking specifically for academic psychologists (including PhD students) to take part in this first survey. It literally takes just over 5 minutes to complete (according to the Qualtrics estimate, which I think is usually quite generous), and involves filling out some very brief demographics, and then giving a few examples of offensive situations/scenarios that you have experienced. Obviously everything is anonymous, data is held confidentially, and the study follows the BPS Code of Conduct on Ethics.
Any participation would be really appreciated. Please get in touch if you have any questions about this, and feel free to pass this link on to others who may be interested in taking part.
http://bit.ly/psych-offence
Thanks in advance,
Craig
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