Instagram account takes a stand to tell stories of island sexual abuse

Chloe Wooldrage started the Tak a Stand account

For more than two years, Chloe Wooldrage has been publishing people's anonymous experiences of sexual assault in Orkney. She wanted to challenge the notion that these crimes do not happen in rural island communities.

Her campaign began in December 2020 with an Instagram post called Story 1. It highlighted the experience of someone who had intimate pictures shared around school without their consent.

From there, more than 100 stories of abuse, assault, and rape in Orkney have been published on the account, called Tak a Stand.

It began life as a university project, before taking life online.

A temporary exhibition in the centre of Kirkwall encouraged more than 230 people to sign a pledge, promising to call out sexual violence if they saw it.

Hundreds of people signed a pledge to call out sexual violence

"The support I had for it was amazing," said Chloe, who felt there was clearly demand among Orcadians who wanted to talk about their experiences.

"Before there was any content on it, I'd already had 12 submissions, so it was like people were waiting for a way to tell their story."

After the account was launched, Chloe was inundated with people's testimony.

"There were so many stories coming through... there would be two or three every time I refreshed," she said.

The stories which have been submitted over the last two years have included allegations of rape and sexual assault.

More than 100 stories have been shared on the account

There are also multiple accounts of people who said they had been drunk and unable to give consent, while people who said they have tried to defend themselves after being groped have themselves been threated with violence.

One person said that every one of their female friends had been sexually assaulted or abused in Orkney at least once.

"The narrative for a long time was that it was a central belt issue and that it didn't happen in Orkney," added Chloe.

"Through the account and through the responses - I've received 300 plus - it just proves that it does happen."

She said that the conversations sparked by the account had changed the narrative - and that more people were reporting incidents to the police.

The exhibition in Kirkwall highlighted some of the stories

The numbers of sexual crimes reported to police in Orkney have increased from 40 in 2020, to 54 in 2021, and then 98 in 2022. The Orkney island group has a population of 22,000.

Orkney Rape and Sexual Assault Service (Orsas) said it had supported 82 people in 2022/23 - an increase of about 10% from the previous year, and the highest figure in the decade it has been in operation.

Service manager Zelda Bradley said: "Survivors in Orkney are feeling a little more comfortable about seeking support."

She said Tak a Stand had made it really difficult for people to deny that this was happening in the community.

"We were able to say it does happen here and actually people deserve to get support," she said.

Although more people have come forward, she said it could be difficult in tightly-knit communities.

"All the things that make a community close, where people have grown up together, where people have worked together, and you're used to relying on your neighbour... all those things become an issue when you're actually standing up and accusing somebody," she said.

Dave Shea, from the Scottish Community Safety Network, said it was important to challenge preconceptions, even though it could be "uncomfortable" to face up to some truths.

Chloe added that Tak a Stand was an important outlet for people's experiences.

"Even if they didn't want to tell anyone they knew, it's still a way to get that weight off their chest, to have their story out."

• Information and support for those affected by sexual abuse is available at BBC Action Line.