Video: Extended interview with Faye Wilson
A rape victim has waived her right to anonymity to urge other women to break their silence and seek help.
Faye Wilson from Buckie was only 16 when she was raped by a friend in the small Moray town.
It took her five years to pluck up the courage to report the crime, by which time it was too late for police to gather the evidence they needed for a prosecution.
The 26-year-old now urges others to report an attack as soon as possible.
She told STV News: "For a long-time I blamed myself, I thought it was my fault. Then I realised this is not my fault and I plucked up the courage to report it.
“That was a big step. I wish I had reported it sooner, but just the fact I have reported it was a big step.
"The main thing I can say to people is try and report it as soon as possible, if you can report it straight away then that's the best way to do it.
“Obviously that's where the big issue lies because a lot of people don't want to report it for the same reason I didn't, you don't feel like you are going to be believed or you think your family and friends might turn against you, or just the simple fact you just think it's not going to go to court, which is very common.
“We need to start changing that. We need to start to get more cases to court and get more convictions."
With the help of Rape Crisis Scotland Faye now has her life back on track, and wants to give something back to the organisation which she feels saved her life.
Faye plans to do a charity treck of Mount Kilimanjaro to raise funds for the Aberdeen and Fraserburgh Rape Crisis Centres.
Sandy Brindley of Rape Crisis Scotland praised Faye’s decision to come out publicly as a victim of rape.
She said: “I think it’s very brave of Faye to speak out about what’s happened to her. I think it can take a lot of courage to speak publicly about being raped.
“A lot of women feel guilty about experiencing sexual violence – that there’s maybe some shame attached to it and really there shouldn’t be any because it’s a crime inflicted upon someone.
“We’re full of admiration for her for wanting to raise some money for Rape Crisis.
“In some ways I think it’s a real shame that it’s necessary for women to speak out and undertake fund raising on our behalf. It should be completely funded by the state I think.”
Faye says the centres helped save her life.
She said: "It's crucial to have these centres, without them, people wouldn't get the help they needed to deal with these situations, which would just be absolutely horrific."
Watch STV's report about Faye Wilson.
