Improving access to sexual violence support for marginalised individuals: findings from the LGBT and BME communities

Statistics suggest that survivors of sexual violence from BME and LGBT communities are less likely to access specialist support than other members of the general population. This paper highlights specific barriers these communities face in accessing support services and how they could be addressed by these services, using data from a case study conducted in the city of Brighton and Hove, UK. It also takes the original step of comparing questionnaire and interview data from survivors with questionnaire and interview data from practitioners working with the BME and LGBT communities. Recommendations are identified for sexual violence services and social workers working with these survivors that are missing from existing literature. These include a critique of the empowerment discourse commonly employed by support services, use of intersectional feminist theory to inform practice, and recommendations for 'community-embedded' support services.