We spoke with survivors, and they shared that it can be a source of anxiety. Many have not attended cervical screening because of their experience of sexual violence. Some felt forced or pressured to disclose their experiences. Others worried the examination might trigger a whole host of distressing physical and emotional responses. These are all normal and reasonable responses. 

However, cervical screening is an essential health check for our wellbeing and safety. And there is support available…

We at Suffolk Rape Crisis (SRC) have been working with specialist nurses and survivors to support you in understanding more about cervical screening. This has included identifying our rights, managing the practical concerns and taking care of the difficult feelings around cervical screening. 

“We wanted to give something back, to support other survivors who might be going through some of the things we have gone through”. 

Survivor

A group of ten survivors worked with SRC to create this ‘Survivor-Focused Cervical Screening Toolkit’.  Together, we have built a toolkit specific to the needs of survivors of sexual violence – to support all survivors with a cervix to manage their cervical screens.

This toolkit is BY survivors and FOR survivors…