London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

JK Rowling funds women-only rape help centre in Edinburgh

JK Rowling funds women-only rape help centre in Edinburgh

JK Rowling has launched a new women-only support service for victims of sexual violence.

The author says Beira's Place will provide free support and advocacy for women in Edinburgh who have experienced abuse at any time in their lives.

She said the service would meet an "unmet need" in response to demands from female survivors of abuse.

Ms Rowling said it was important that survivors had the option of women-centred and women-delivered care.

Rape Crisis Scotland said support should also be available to trans and non-binary people.

The Harry Potter creator has held a longstanding interest in women's and children's issues and has been a vocal critic of the Scottish government's reform of the Gender Recognition Act.

Other critics of the reform are among those on the board of directors for Beira's Place.

As well as Ms Rowling, they include former prison governor Rhona Hotchkiss, previous Scottish Labour leader Johann Lamont, GP Margaret McCartney, and director of For Women Scotland, Susan Smith.

The new venture is being funded by the author, who lives in Edinburgh. It is not a charity and will not rely on donations.

Ms Rowling said: "I founded Beira's Place to provide what I believe is currently an unmet need for women in the Lothians area.

"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.

"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."


'Gendered crimes'


Named after Beira, the Scottish goddess of winter, it will be run by a paid staff of experienced support workers and headed by chief executive Isabelle Kerr and deputy chief executive Susan Domminney.

They previously ran the Glasgow and Clyde Rape Crisis.

Ms Kerr said: "Violence against women and girls is an issue that crosses all cultures, classes, and religions.

"These are gendered crimes that are overwhelmingly perpetrated by men and disproportionately experienced by women.

"Beira's Place recognises that effective sexual violence services must be independent, needs-led, and provide responsive, women-centred services so that they are free from the pressure of current political agendas.

"We are committed to ensuring that our service is free, confidential, and accessible to women survivors who may need it."


The establishment of Beira's Place comes two months after Ms Rowling supported a rally protesting against the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill.

She wore a T-shirt calling First Minister Nicola Sturgeon a "destroyer of women's rights".

The proposed new law will make it easier for people in Scotland to change their legally recognised gender, and is due its final vote at Holyrood next week.

It will remove the requirement for a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria as a condition of acquiring a gender recognition certificate.

Critics have raised concerns about the impact it could have on single sex spaces such as women's refuges and prisons.

The Scottish government has denied this, saying it will streamline a process which is currently invasive and distressing for an already marginalised group.


'Deeply interconnected'


Rape Crisis Scotland - which has 17 centres across Scotland - said it welcomed any new service to support survivors of sexual violence.

It added: "It is crucial that the life-saving support offered by rape crisis centres is available to trans and non-binary people.

"All rape crisis services in Scotland offer support to trans women and have done so for 15 years. There has not been a single incident of anyone abusing this.

"We continue to see the paths to equality for women and trans people are being deeply interconnected and dependent on shared efforts to dismantle systems of discrimination."

Writer Suzanne Moore, who interviewed JK Rowling on the opening of Beira's Place, told BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour it was a major undertaking for the author.

"A project like this is years in the making," she said. "She has gathered a team of experts, people who have worked in rape crisis centres and what she really wants to ensure is this is not a charity that is subject to the whims of power and that its funding is never under threat.

"It's really simple and in some ways it has not got a lot to do with the whole trans issue and the complex politics of Scotland. JK is doing something to improve the lives of some of the most vulnerable people."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
After 200,000 Orders in 2 Minutes: Xiaomi Accelerates Marketing in Europe
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Comcast’s Cable Spin-Off
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
Finnish MP Dies by Suicide in Parliament Building
Outrage in the Tennis World After Jannik Sinner’s Withdrawal Storm
William and Kate Are Moving House – and the New Neighbors Were Evicted
Class Action Lawsuit Against Volkswagen: Steering Wheel Switches Cause Accidents
Taylor Swift on the Way to the Super Bowl? All the Clues Stirring Up Fans
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Apple Expands Social Media Presence in China With RedNote Account Ahead of iPhone 17 Launch
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Cambridge Dictionary Adds 'Skibidi,' 'Delulu,' and 'Tradwife' Amid Surge of Online Slang
Bill Barr Testifies No Evidence Implicated Trump in Epstein Case; DOJ Set to Release Records
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
The CEO Who Replaced 80% of Employees for the AI Revolution: "I Would Do It Again"
Emails Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Character.ai Bets on Future of AI Companionship
China Ramps Up Tax Crackdown on Overseas Investments
Japanese Office Furniture Maker Expands into Bomb Shelter Market
Intel Shares Surge on Possible U.S. Government Investment
Hurricane Erin Threatens U.S. East Coast with Dangerous Surf
EU Blocks Trade Statement Over Digital Rule Dispute
EU Sends Record Aid as Spain Battles Wildfires
JPMorgan Plans New Canary Wharf Tower
Zelenskyy and his allies say they will press Trump on security guarantees
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Escalating Clashes in Serbia as Anti-Government Protests Spread Nationwide
The Drought in Britain and the Strange Request from the Government to Delete Old Emails
Category 5 Hurricane in the Caribbean: 'Catastrophic Storm' with Winds of 255 km/h
"No, Thanks": The Mathematical Genius Who Turned Down 1.5 Billion Dollars from Zuckerberg
The surprising hero, the ugly incident, and the criticism despite victory: "Liverpool’s defense exposed in full"
Digital Humans Move Beyond Sci-Fi: From Virtual DJs to AI Customer Agents
YouTube will start using AI to guess your age. If it’s wrong, you’ll have to prove it
×