Chichester Vigil To Honour Raped Or Sexually Abused Women In Sussex

A vigil will be held in Chichester by the charity Lifecentre to honour the six women raped or sexually abused in Sussex every day.

The Mayor of Chichester, Councillor John Hughes, the Dean of Chichester, Stephen John Waine, the High Sheriff, James Whitmore, and Lifecentre supporters, and staff will be gathering at The Cross in Chichester city centre, at 12pm on Friday, 20 May, and walking to Priory Park, where the vigil will then be held - with a six-minute silence.

Lifecentre is also inviting anyone of any gender to join this event - you can email [email protected] or go to Lifecentre’s Facebook page and sign up on the events post. 

Lifecentre say they're hoping over 100 people will come to show their solidarity. 

Kathryn Slatter, CEO of Lifecentre says:

“The six-minute silence symbolizes the six women who are raped and sexually abused every day across Sussex.

“We realise that it may seem a long time but imagine silently carrying around the trauma of rape or sexual abuse for a six-minutes, hours, days, months, years, or in some cases a lifetime.

"Rape and sexual abuse affect all genders and we want people to feel they can talk about their experiences. Survivors have nothing to be ashamed about. They deserve to get the help they need to begin the recovery process."

Lifecentre provides support and therapy to anyone, of any gender, who has had an unwanted sexual experience, whether in childhood or adult life.

As well as local offices in Chichester, Worthing, and Crawley, they have a freephone helpline on 0808 802 0808 and text helpline on 07717 989 022.