The board of Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre have issued a statement this morning indicating that the Chief Executive, Mridul Wadhwa, has quit her position.
The statement reads: “Mridul Wadhwa and the Board have decided that the time is right for a change of leadership in at Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre (ERCC).
“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.”
A report by Rape Crisis Scotland found that the centre failed to protect women-only spaces and said that Ms Wadhwa “did not understand the limits of her authority”. The review began after an employment tribunal determined that a member of counselling staff at the centre, Roz Adams, had been constructively dismissed. The tribunal found that an inquiry into Roz Adams’ conduct should not have taken place. The decision stated that this move “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”.
Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre was established in 1978. The body states: “Over the last 45 years we have provided emotional and practical support, information and advocacy to thousands of survivors of sexual violence.
“We are a specialist agency providing support to survivors in Edinburgh and the Lothians – we have an outreach support service in East and Midlothian. Our workers are trained to a high standard and share the view that gender-based violence is an abuse of power and should not happen.”
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