As part of the It’s Not Me, It’s You campaign, RASA Merseyside has partnered with photographer Jayne Jackson to continue to highlight issues around victim blaming. Jayne is passionate about social issues, gender equality, and mental health, and believes images can act as a powerful tool for social change.
Her exhibition Asking for It explores victim blaming attitudes towards survivors of both sexual and domestic abuse.
Helen Leach, Project Development Manager at RASA Merseyside, says: “After seeing some of the images online from the Asking for It exhibition, I shared Jayne’s work with my colleagues. We were all struck by how powerful the images are, and how they educate and encourage people to question their own beliefs, values, and attitudes towards survivors of rape and sexual abuse. We contacted Jayne and asked if she would like to partner with us to provide imagery for our publicity materials for the campaign, and we were extremely happy with the images she produced”.
Discussing the partnership, Jayne Jackson says: “I am delighted to have partnered with RASA Merseyside on their #itsnotmeitsyou campaign, by creating two new images for the ‘Asking for it’ series.
The new mugshots we have created highlight victim blaming towards a person having travelled home alone and having their drink spiked. Since we made these images, more and
more evidence of the devastating scale and impact of the drink-spiking problem has caught media attention. It is imperative that these serious acts of violence are addressed and prevented, starting with reframing the blame towards those committing the acts themselves.
I 100% support RASA’s campaign to ‘educate people to STOP victim blaming survivors of sexual abuse and put the blame back where it belongs - WITH THE PERPETRATOR.’ #itsnotmeitsyou”.
RASA Merseyside would like to thank Jayne Jackson for creating the two new images and providing two further images from the Asking for It collection. In addition, we would like to thank Liverpool City Safe, Liverpool City Council, and the Office for the Police and Crime Commissioner who have funded this campaign.
To learn more about the Asking for It exhibition, click on the link below: