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Eaves : The Amina Scheme

What is the Amina Scheme?

Amina is a support scheme for women who are living with experiences of rape, sexual assault or sexual abuse. Women using the scheme will be paired with specially trained Amina Support Volunteers – women like you who have had similar experiences. These volunteers will meet you once a week to:

• Help you talk about how you feel
• Give you information about the effects sexual attacks can have
• Help you to work towards personal goals that you will set yourself
• Help you to access support services
• Support you during court proceedings
• Accompany you to appointments (when possible)

They will not judge you or tell you what to do. They will support you through low level, friendly, confidential, practical support.

When Amina can help

Amina can help if you have been:

• sexually assaulted or raped
• sexually abused
• made to have sex with someone against your will
• made to sell sex or experienced sexual violence whilst selling sex
• made to do sexual things you didn’t want to do
• forced to pose for sexual pictures or films
• forced to look at sexual pictures
• a witness to somebody ‘flashing’ or masturbating in public
• made to touch yourself or someone else in a sexual way
• made to watch people having sex against your will

These things might have happened to you as an adult or a child. However long ago it was you can still use the Amina Scheme.

When we cannot help

There are some things the Amina Scheme is unable to help with and some services we cannot offer you:

• Amina can only help women who are over 18 and live, work, or can travel to the London area
• The Amina Scheme cannot offer counselling, although we can help you find services that do
• We can only support women who have experienced sexual violence
• We cannot work with women who have been convicted of certain criminal acts or who have a history of violence towards support workers

If we cannot support you, we will tell you about other organisations that might be able to help.

If you would like to know more about the Amina scheme call 020 7735 2062 and ask for Cat or Frances, or email amina@eaveshousing.co.uk