Jill Saward spent 30 years of her life campaigning for changes to the law and practice to improve the way victims of rape and sexual assault are treated at the hands of the legal system and the media. Her work achieved a great deal. But it was far from finished when she died in January 2017.
The Jill Saward Organisation will continue her work.
The JSO is not a charity. This is a deliberate decision by its founder, Jill’s widower, Gavin Drake. There are quite right and proper restrictions on charities’ ability to speak out and lobby politicians. The JSO will not be partisan or party political but it needs the freedom to run political campaigns and lobby effectively, including around election times. Even though it is not a charity, it does need your support.
Nor is the Jill Saward a large-scale organisation. It has no full time staff and no permanent office. The Jill Saward organisation has been created to make a difference, not to build an empire.
The Jill Saward organisation does not have the capacity nor the expertise to offer direct support to victims. There are many organisations providing this service nationally, regionally and locally. They are all, sadly, woefully underfunded. This is one of the areas where the Jill Saward Organisation will campaign: rape and sexual violence support centres have very few staff. Those staff should be free to spend their time serving victims, rather than having their hands tied as they fight for funds.
The Jill Saward Organisation is new and is currently in a developmental stage. This page will be updated with more information in the weeks and months ahead.