A GROUNDBREAKING new clinic offering specialised health care for victims of sexual violence opens this month.
The My Body Back (MBB) project, said to be the first of its kind in Scotland, will provide a supportive environment where survivors can have their routine smear tests.
It will be based at the Sandyford in Glasgow.
Experts said survivors of sexual violence may need additional support to get the health care they need, particularly healthcare that requires intimate examination.
Pavan Amara, who founded the London based charity in 2015, said: “I started My Body Back after I was raped myself, and found there were no services for how awful being raped left me feeling about my physicality.
“There was a lot of emotional support but zero support that recognised how being raped had hugely affected my body image and how terribly I felt about it afterwards.
“This left me with lots of problems, but no support services to deal with it. So, I started the project myself, to help other women who I know are experiencing the same problems.”
The MBB clinic in Glasgow is a collaboration among MBB, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, the West of Scotland Managed Clinical Network for Sexual Health, Rape Crisis Scotland and Rape Crisis Glasgow and Clyde.
Dr Pauline McGough, West of Scotland Managed Clinical Network for Sexual Health, added: “This is a really exciting new service for women survivors of sexual violence in the west of Scotland.”
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