The chief executive of a sexual assault support service has resigned after a review found it failed to protect women-only spaces. 

Mridul Wadhwa – a trans woman – resigned after a Rape Crisis Scotland report found she failed to behave professionally while head of Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre (ERCC). 

The investigation, carried out by an independent consultant, also found Ms Wadhwa “did not understand the limits of her authority” and the needs of survivors were not prioritised. 

In a statement, the ERCC board said it was implementing recommendations from the review, but felt the “time was right for a change of leadership”. 

Ms Wadhwa sparked controversy when she suggested “bigoted” rape survivors should be re-educated about transgender rights as part of recovering from their trauma. 

Wadhwa also said that rape survivors could “reframe” their trauma and have “a more positive relationship with it”.  

Roz adamsRoz adams (Image: NQ)

However, the review which led to her standing down was brought about after an employment tribunal found a counsellor at ERCC who held gender-critical views had been unfairly dismissed. 

Former worker Roz Adams believed that those using the service should be able to know the sex of the staff that deal with their case. 

Ms Adams' view was that people using the centre should have a choice over who they received support from on the basis of sex, and that sex was binary and "everyone is either male or female at that level". 

The tribunal found that an investigation into Ms Adams' conduct should not have been launched and “was clearly motivated by a strong belief amongst the senior management and some of the claimant’s colleagues that the claimant’s views were inherently hateful". 

Ms Adams has since gone on to work for Beira's Place - a women-only support service for victims of sexual violence, partly funded by JK Rowling. 

The review found an investigation into Roz Adams' conduct should never have happened 

Ms Wadhwa was highlighted in the outcome of the case as she appeared to believe that Ms Adams was transphobic. 

It said Ms Wadhwa was “the invisible hand behind everything that had taken place.” 

Rape Crisis Scotland said standards had not been met Rape Crisis Scotland said standards had not been met (Image: NQ)

In a statement following the publication of the report on Thursday, Rape Crisis Scotland (RCS)described ERCC’s failure to provide women-only spaces as “a significant breach” of the national service standards that all Rape Crisis Centres have to follow. 

It added that it had paused referrals to the centre. 

The charity’s statement said: “We are extremely concerned that for around 16 months, ERCC did not provide dedicated women-only spaces, as required by the national service standards, while declaring to RCS that they were adhering to the standards. 

“This is a significant breach. We have asked ERCC to produce an action plan, with clear timescales, to implement the review’s recommendations. 

“We have also requested that ERCC conducts an urgent review of its data protection and safeguarding policies and procedures, and they have confirmed that this work is under way. 

“In the meantime, we have paused referrals to ERCC.” 

It added: “The needs of survivors should be listened to and respected when they come to any Rape Crisis Centre. 

“It is important that survivors can make informed choices about the services they access at Rape Crisis Centres, and we recognise that for some survivors this includes the choice of a single- sex service.” 

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ERCC said it was in “daily communication” with RCS and was in the process of implementing the report’s recommendations. 

“We are committed to delivering excellence while taking on board the recommendations from the independent review to ensure we place survivors’ voices at the heart of our strategy,” it said. 

“We are in daily communication with Rape Crisis Scotland, have met their urgent demands, and are currently implementing the recommendations in the report. 

“We will continue to work alongside RCS to ensure our services not only meet but exceed the national service standards.” 

Scottish Conservative MSP for Lothian region Sue Webber said this announcement was long overdue. 

She said: “By definition, rape crisis centres should offer a safe haven for traumatised women. Yet, instead of focusing on providing that, ERCC has been more concerned with imposing its own militant gender ideology on both staff and distressed victims. 

“It’s not just callous but obscene that rape victims should be deemed transphobic for requesting a protected single-sex space by the very organisation that’s meant to provide support at a time of acute distress. 

“While the ERCC board have been forced, by the independent review, to accept that a change of leadership is necessary, the perfunctory apology in their statement suggests they still don’t grasp the magnitude of the offence and upset they have caused.” 

She added: “Rape Crisis Scotland and the Scottish Government must demand an entire change of ethos at ERCC – rather than merely personnel – if they are to regain the trust of women.”