On the 18th of February 2026, we ran a webinar on the talk "The Not Safe Here Report: The systemic failures to protect women and children from sexual violence and abuse in asylum accommodation." where we welcomed guest speakers Maxime Rowson (RCEW, RapeCrisis) and Esther Klouvi (Imkaan). You can watch the webinar recording below.
Extra resources
| not_safe_here_report_slides.pdf |
You can find the full report here: https://rapecrisis.org.uk/get-informed/not-safe-here/
Speaker information
Maxime is the interim Head of Policy and Public Affairs Rape Crisis England & Wales (RCEW). RCEW is a national charity campaigning and influencing on behalf of victims and survivors of sexual violence and abuse. RCEW is also the national umbrella organisation for a network of 38 independent Rape Crisis Centres and the provider of the national 24/7 sexual violence and abuse support line. Maxime is based in the North East and has worked with Rape Crisis Tyneside and Northumberland as a helpline support volunteer for 11 years. She previously worked as the VAWG and Modern Slavery Lead at the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Northumbria, where she led the first pilot of independent legal advice for sexual violence and abuse survivors in England and Wales.
Esther is the Research and Policy Manager at Imkaan, the UK’s umbrella organisation for the Black and minoritised VAWG (violence against women and girls) sector. In her role, she leads workstreams across housing, mental health, and asylum accommodation, supporting member organisations through research, advocacy, and policy initiatives from a Black and minoritised feminist intersectional perspective. Her background is primarily in policy and public affairs, and her journey into the VAWG sector began at Women’s Aid, where she worked on their flagship campaign Deserve to be Heard, focusing on the impact of domestic abuse on women’s and children’s mental health. She later worked at Mind and the British Psychological Society, where she focused on mental health policy across education and healthcare.
Esther is the Research and Policy Manager at Imkaan, the UK’s umbrella organisation for the Black and minoritised VAWG (violence against women and girls) sector. In her role, she leads workstreams across housing, mental health, and asylum accommodation, supporting member organisations through research, advocacy, and policy initiatives from a Black and minoritised feminist intersectional perspective. Her background is primarily in policy and public affairs, and her journey into the VAWG sector began at Women’s Aid, where she worked on their flagship campaign Deserve to be Heard, focusing on the impact of domestic abuse on women’s and children’s mental health. She later worked at Mind and the British Psychological Society, where she focused on mental health policy across education and healthcare.