Izzy’s Promise will now be known as Ritual Abuse Network Scotland (R.A.N.S.)
A charity which supports victims of abuse has a new name.
Izzy’s Promise will now be known as Ritual Abuse Network Scotland (R.A.N.S.)
The organisation has said the name change will make it easier to explain the support it offers.
Founder Dr Laurie Matthew OBE said: “Ritual Abuse Network Scotland provides clarity on what the charity is and does. The name now needs no explanation whereas Izzy’s Promise, while having significance in the history of the charity, didn’t make clear the subject matter and the area the charity works in.
“R.A.N.S. has also become the lead national charity in Scotland and indeed the UK providing information and support to survivors of ritual and organised abuse while also carrying out international research. Additionally, we work to increase awareness of ritual abuse and provide consultancy to policy makers, statutory bodies and other third sector agencies.”
According to R.A.N.S, ritual abuse is abuse that follows any kind of pattern. It can occur with or without a belief pattern. It often involves multiple perpetrators and multiple survivors. The impact of ritual abuse is often devastating to a person. Survivors of ritual abuse often have complex mental health problems along with additional and unique barriers to accessing support.
Dr Matthew added: “Survivors of ritual abuse have faced some of the most extreme abuse and in many cases it can take years before survivors come to terms with experiencing ritual abuse.
“Our mission is to make support available to all survivors of ritual abuse and having a clear name like R.A.N.S will allow greater visibility online when survivors begin to seek out support. Izzy’s legacy will continue in the spirit of everything that the charity does in helping each and every survivor getting the support they need.”
The change in name comes with the release of the new, easy to use, survivor- friendly website that will continue to be a vital first step in survivors finding support.
R.A.N.S also offers a wide range of informative books and training materials developed with survivors and based on over 20 twenty years’ experience and research into ritual abuse and support.
More information can be found on the charity’s website.
