JK Rowling’s women-only rape support centre has hit back after being branded an ‘anti-rights organisation’ by Amnesty International, describing the claim as ‘deeply offensive’.
Beira’s Place, the Edinburgh-based service founded by the Harry Potter author in 2022 to support female survivors of male violence, issued its first public response after Amnesty was forced to remove its report, A Growing Threat: The Anti-Rights Movement in the UK, due to the growing backlash.
The report had included Beira’s Place among more than 100 organisations it claimed were working against the rights of LGBT+ people, prompting criticism from several of those named.
Chief executive Lesley Johnston said Amnesty’s decision to include the centre was ‘inexplicable’.
She said: ‘Beira’s Place was established in 2022 to address an unmet need for a single-sex support service for female survivors of male violence.
‘We are proud of our work and we know how much our service means to the women who have used it.
‘It is inexplicable that Beira’s Place has been listed as an “anti-rights organisation” in a report published last week by Amnesty International.
‘This is deeply offensive to Beira’s Place staff who work day in, day out to support survivors, and to the women who need and use our service.
Harry Potter author JK Rowling founded Edinburgh-based rape support centre Beira’s Place in 2022
Ms Johnston added: ‘We will continue to focus on the needs of the women who come to us and… we remain committed to a vision where women and girls can live in a world free of sexual violence.’
Beira’s Place provides support exclusively to biological women who have experienced sexual violence.
The centre was established by Ms Rowling after controversy surrounding the Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre, where former chief executive Mridul Wadhwa said survivors who objected to being supported by a transgender woman should ‘reframe’ their trauma.
An Amnesty International report claimed the support centre was working against the rights of LGBT+ people
Ms Rowling said at the time there was an unmet need for a women-only service for victims of sexual violence.
Amnesty’s report said there had been a significant decline in LGBT+ rights across the UK and listed more than 100 organisations it called ‘anti-rights’, including Beira’s Place, For Women Scotland, Murray Blackburn Mackenzie, LGB Alliance and Labour Women’s Declaration.
Following widespread criticism, Amnesty removed the report from its website over the weekend pending an internal review.
Amnesty has not apologised for naming Beira’s Place. Instead, a spokesman said: ‘We regret that this briefing was uploaded to our website without going through the established internal review processes that are in place to ensure consistency, accuracy and alignment with Amnesty International UK’s positions. Its use of language does not reflect the position of Amnesty International UK, which is why it was promptly removed.’
