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Witness History: First rape crisis centres in the US

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First rape crisis centres in the US

08/11/2022 GMT

BBC World Service - Witness History, First rape crisis centres in the US

Activist Sue Lenaerts helped start up one of the first rape crisis centres in the US

The second wave of feminism in the US empowered many women to speak out and share their experiences about being raped. It led to the creation of the first rape crisis centres.

1972 was a time of feminist action in the US. People were talking more openly about rape and sharing their experiences. It led to rape crisis centres being set up, which offered support for women. 

Activist Sue Lenaerts taught women self-defence and worked on the helpline at the first centre in the capital, Washington DC. She’s been speaking to Laura Jones.

(Photo: Sue Lenaerts in the early 1970s. Credit: Sue Lenaerts)

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