Women-only Rape Support Clinic Funded by J.K. Rowling in Edinburgh
In response to the prevalence of sexual assault, Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has established a support service for female victims.
According to the author, women in Edinburgh who have been victims of abuse will be able to receive free support and advocacy at Beira's Place. According to her, the service will fulfill a hitherto "unmet need" for survivors of abuse. Ms Rowling emphasized the need of female-centered and women-delivered services for survivors.
"I founded Beira's Place to provide what I believe is currently an unmet need for women in the Lothians area," she said. "As a survivor of sexual assault myself, I know how important it is that survivors have the option of women-centred and women-delivered care at such a vulnerable time."
The Edinburgh-based author is personally funding the startup. It is not a nonprofit and will not rely on donations.
"Beira's Place will offer an increase in capacity for services in the area and will, I hope, enable more women to process and recover from their trauma," She said.
The author of the Harry Potter series has a long-standing interest in women's and children's issues and has been an outspoken critic of the Scottish government's modification of the Gender Recognition Act.Beira's Place has several detractors of the reform on its board of directors. They include Ms Rowling, former prison chief Rhona Hotchkiss, former Scottish Labour leader Johann Lamont, general practitioner Margaret McCartney, and director of For Women Scotland Susan Smith.
However, Rape Crisis Scotland insists that trans and non-binary people should have access to the same services.