Edinburgh rape crisis centre chief executive resigns after report into failings

The chief executive of a sexual assault support service has resigned after an investigation found the service failed to protect women-only spaces.

Mridul Wadhwa – a trans woman – resigned after a Report on Scotland’s rape crisis She was found to have behaved unprofessionally while she was head of the Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre (ERCC).

The investigation, conducted by an independent consultant, also found that Ms Wadhwa “did not understand the limits of her authority” and that the needs of survivors were not a priority.

In a statement, the ERCC board said it was implementing the recommendations from the evaluation but believed “the time has come for a change in leadership.”

The review was triggered after Employment tribunal finds adviser held critical views on gender had been unfairly constructively dismissed.

Former employee Roz Adams believes service users should be able to know the gender of the staff dealing with their case.

The charity suspended further referrals to the centre and said it was “extremely concerned” that women-only spaces had not been provided for 16 months.

An ERCC statement said: “Mridul has resigned as CEO of ERCC. Recruitment of a new CEO will take place in due course.

“We are committed to delivering excellence while taking into account the recommendations of the independent review to ensure we place the voice of survivors at the heart of our strategy.

“We are in daily communication with Rape Crisis Scotland, have responded to their urgent requests and are currently implementing the recommendations of the report.

“We will continue to work alongside the RCS to ensure that our services not only meet but exceed national service standards.”

However, For Women Scotland – which campaigned against the changes to transgender rights – accused the board of “ignoring its own culpability”.

In a statement posted on X, they said“It’s the least they can do. It seems the board intends to ignore its own culpability.

“It’s not enough.

“They and Rape Crisis Scotland are making a sacrifice. But they created the problem.”

Ms Adams’ tribunal, which ended in May, focused on a disciplinary process that began after she repeatedly asked for clarification on how to respond to an abuse survivor who wanted to know whether a support worker who identified as non-binary was male or female.

Some people who do not identify as having a uniquely masculine or feminine gender identity describe themselves as nonbinary.

According to Ms Adams, people attending the centre should have a choice of who provides them with support based on their gender, and gender was binary and “everyone is either male or female at this level”.

The court found that an investigation into Ms Adams’ conduct should not have been launched and that it “was clearly motivated by a strong belief among senior management and some of the complainant’s colleagues that her views were inherently hateful.”

Ms Wadhwa was highlighted in the outcome of the case because she appeared to believe Ms Adams was transphobic.

She said Ms Wadhwa was “the invisible hand behind everything that happened”.

The inquiry into the charity, published on Thursday, also concluded that Ms Wadhwa “did not understand the limits of the authority of her role”.

Ms Adams has since worked for Beira’s Place, a support service for women who have experienced sexual violence, funded by JK Rowling.

The review found the charity had experienced a number of challenges, including a restructuring of the service during the pandemic and a series of changes to the board and trustees.

He said some core systems were not robust, which “did not help the organization manage situations well.”

This included a strategy that “did not prioritize survivors” and a failure to protect women-only spaces.

In its recommendations, the review said the Edinburgh centre should follow Rape Crisis Scotland’s advice on the definition of ‘woman’ and make it public within the service.

Spaces and times reserved for women “must be protected and clearly made public,” he said.

But the assessment also acknowledged that the company continued to “provide high quality services to a significant number of people.”

Survivors can still contact the charity themselves.

Scottish Conservative MP Sue Webber accused the charity of “imposing a militant gender ideology” under Ms Wadhwa’s leadership.

She said the organisation needed a “change in ethics” rather than a change in leadership if it was to regain women’s trust.

She added: “Although the ERCC board was compelled by the independent review to accept that a change of leadership was necessary, the perfunctory apology in their statement suggests that they still do not grasp the extent of the offence and upheaval they have caused.”