our story.
​GINA was established after our Founder, Lisa Thompson, discovered that her much loved grandmother, Nana Gina, was raped as a teenager & had kept this secret for nearly 70 years, only disclosing shortly before she died. Lisa named GINA after her Nana to leave a positive legacy for her & for other women like her. Lisa vowed that GINA would create opportunities for women subjected to sexual violence & abuse to Grow, Inspire, Nurture and Achieve, to encourage women to believe in themselves, their resourcefulness & their potential.
There is no equivalent private specialist rape crisis organisation. GINA is the only private specialist support provider in the UK offering services to women who have been subjected to sexual trauma.
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Just as Lisa’s Nana Gina inspired her to do more for women subjected to sexual violence & abuse, she hopes that you too will be inspired by GINA’s work & commit to creating a world where no woman feels unable to disclose, report, access support & seek justice.
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how we work.
1
Our values & stance.
Explore our values & stances that guide our approach & inform our work in offering support to women subjected to sexual violence & abuse.
2
Women-only services, support & spaces
Explore our stance offering women-only services, support & spaces as a women-only organisation.
3
Use of language.
No matter what anyone tells you, YOU get to choose the language you want to describe you & what you have been subjected to. Don't like the word 'survivor'? Does 'victim' feel more appropriate? Or do you not want to identify at all as any of these terms? That's okay. It can be an empowering experience choosing the language you use for yourself & it can be empowering to change that language whenever you want to.
4
Keeping counselling confidential.
We actively challenge requests to share counselling notes to protect the interests of the women we support. In accordance with Rape Crisis England & Wales' Keep Counselling Confidential Campaign, we do not routinely share counselling notes with police/CPS. Most people agree to share information as they wish to cooperate with the investigation & believe that these notes will support their case. In some instances, it does. But, in most, we know that it's used against them. We believe women subjected to sexual violence & abuse need safe spaces to heal from trauma without fear that their private information will be shared. We will continue to be led by the wishes & best interests of the women we support.
5
Mission possible
Our vision:
A world revolving with hope & compassion to hold women subjected to sexual violence & abuse in their truth & embrace women in living into their power.
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Our mission:
To step into shared power, in celebration of individuality, compassion & connection to support women subjected to sexual violence & abuse in living hopeful futures; while challenging beliefs, attitudes & systems that facilitate sexual violence & abuse.
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Our social mission:
Uniting in lived experience to enhance a compassionate, curious & tailored approach to support for women subjected to sexual violence & abuse.
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meet our sis: RSVP
Any surplus raised through GINA is donated to our sister charity, the Rape & Sexual Violence Project (RSVP) - Birmingham's rape crisis charity that has been supporting individuals subjected to sexual violence & abuse across Birmingham & Solihull since 1978. Every penny you spend through GINA helps to fund our GINA support provision & simultaneously fund free specialist sexual violence & abuse services for individuals in our community; creating positive legacies for individuals subjected to sexual violence & abuse across throughout our community.