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The chief executive of an Edinburgh centre tasked with supporting sexual assault victims has resigned in the wake of a damning report. Mridul Wadhwa - a trans woman - has stood down from the helm of the Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre (ERCC) after the sweeping review concluded she “did not understand the limits of her authority”. It was also found Ms Wadhwa had failed to “behave professionally”. The report was commissioned by Rape Crisis Scotland(RCS), the lead national organisation in Scotland working to support survivors and end sexual violence. In a statement issued by the ERCC board, they said it was the “time was right for a change of leadership” as the body stressed it was implementing recommendations from the review. The statement said: “Mridul has stood down from her role as CEO of ERCC. Recruitment of a new CEO will happen in due course. “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. “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.“ The decision comes after a review of the services provided by the centre found its strategy did not “put survivors first”, and failed to protect women-only spaces, with the organisation also falling short of professional standards of behaviour. The review was launched after an employment tribunal concluded Roz Adams, a former ERCC employee, had been unfairly dismissed from her role after expressing gender-critical views. Ms Adams believed those using the service should be able to know the sex of the staff that deal with their case. The tribunal, which found Ms Adams had suffered harassment and discrimination, also concluded that under the leadership of Ms Wadhwa, the centre had overseen a “deeply flawed” investigation it described as “somewhat reminiscent of the work of Franz Kafka”. In the wake of the independent review, RCS, which sets standards for member centres, has decided to pause new referrals to ERCC. It described the findings as “challenging”, and said it was “extremely concerned” that over a 16-month period, the centre did not provide dedicated women-only spaces, despite claiming it was adhering to national standards which require them. Join this channel to get access to perks:
