Emily's Word

Emily Jacob has contributed to national conversations across press, television, radio, podcasts, survivor-led collaborations and professional speaking events, including the St Mary’s SARC Conference. Her work focuses on rape, sexual trauma, recovery, consent, justice and life after sexual violence.

Clients

As featured in

To play, press and hold the enter key. To stop, release the enter key.

MY VISION IS TO END RAPE CULTURE.
WE CAN'T END RAPE CULTURE IF WE DON'T TALK ABOUT IT.
SO I TALK ABOUT IT.

Channel 5: Raped: My Story

Emily contributed to the Channel 5 documentary Raped: My Story, which was later nominated for a BAFTA and won a Royal Television Society award.

Sexual Abuse & Sexual Violence Awareness Week

Metro and Huffington Post

For Sexual Abuse & Sexual Violence Awareness Week 2017, Emily wrote a concentrated series of articles across Metro and Huffington Post, covering survivor support, consent, recovery, disbelief, victim blaming and the importance of breaking silence around sexual abuse and sexual violence. The series was connected to the wider #ItsNotOK campaign and shows the breadth of Emily’s early public advocacy work.

Why It Matters Huffington Post, 6 February
What You Need to Know Metro, 6 February
The State of Help For Survivors Metro, 6 February
#ItsNotOK: Breaking the Silence Metro, 6 February
Consent for Dummies: How To Tell If A Person Wants To Have Sex With You Metro, 7 February
Is Abuse Something You Can Ever Recover From?Metro, 7 February
11 Ways You Can Help Metro, 8 February
1 in 5 Women Have Been Sexually Assaulted: They Could Be One Of Your Colleagues Metro, 9 February
A Rapist Is A Rapist: All The ‘Helpful’ Advice About How To Avoid Rape Just Contributes To Victim Blaming Metro, 9 February
Why Are Women So Often Met With Disbelief When It Comes To Sexual Abuse & Violence? Metro, 11 February

The Independent:

Life After Sexual Violence

Emily was one of seven survivors featured in Life After Sexual Violence, a video series by The Independent exploring the reality of life after rape and sexual assault. The series covered recovery, disclosure, the justice system, work, media coverage, triggers, relationships and the long-term impact of sexual violence. Emily was featured as the founder of ReConnected Life, described by The Independent at the time as “a coaching and community program for survivors of sexual violence.”

Introduction: Life After Sexual Violence Watch Here

How to Talk About Sexual Violence Watch Here

The Justice System Watch Here

The Impact on Career Watch Here

The Media Watch Here

On the Recovery Process Watch Here

About Triggers Watch Here

Sex & Relationships Watch Here

Broadcast commentary on victim blaming

BBC Breakfast and BBC Radio 5 Live

After Judge Lindsey Kushner said that women are entitled to drink but are putting themselves at risk of predators, Emily was invited to speak about the comments first on BBC Breakfast and then on BBC Radio 5 Live.

Emily spoke from the perspective of a rape survivor and advocate, challenging the idea that responsibility should be placed on women’s behaviour rather than on the people who choose to cause harm. Her contribution formed part of a wider public conversation about victim blaming, rape culture and the way authority figures talk about sexual violence.

On the Justice System

Survivor testimony and the reality of reporting

From the perspective of the victim, justice can seem like the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow: a dream that may never become real.

Emily’s work on the justice system includes

To Report or Not to Report: Survivor Testimony of the (In)Justice System, a collection of survivor testimonies exploring the complex, painful and deeply personal decision of whether to report rape. The project gave space to survivors whose experiences show how the justice system can feel from the inside, including the fear of not being believed, the pressure to report, the impact of the process itself, and the emotional weight carried by those who do not receive a conviction.

Rape Survivors Are Starting To Be Heard, But The Justice System Is Failing To Listen
Huffington Post, 7 February 2018

Emily wrote about survivor testimony, public listening and the gap between being heard and being properly served by the justice system.

6 Rape Survivors Share Their Powerful Stories
Stylist, 8 February 2018
Emily shared six survivor stories from To Report or Not to Report, exploring the different experiences of survivors who reported, did not report, or were failed by the process.

Marie Claire, 14 January 2020
This article featured survivor testimony connected to Emily’s work and explored why, even without a conviction, reporting can still matter to some survivors.

Rape in
TV & Film

How television and film portray rape has a real influence on social attitudes. Emily has written and spoken about storylines and documentaries that explore rape, consent, survivor experience, victim blaming and the way audiences are encouraged to understand sexual violence.

Broadchurch Season 3: a true performance in a fictitious world of policing

Metro, 27 January 2017
Broadchurch Season 3 placed a sexual assault at the centre of its story. Emily wrote about how the survivor’s performance felt real, while the processes around the crime felt far more fictional.

The Affair and the consent debate
Metro, 11 December 2016
Emily wrote about how The Affair shone a light on opposing sides of the consent debate, pushing the conversation into more nuanced territory.

Audrie & Daisy
Metro, 4 October 2016
Emily reviewed Audrie & Daisy, the documentary telling the heartbreaking stories of two girls in different small American towns who experienced rape, sexual abuse and cyberbullying.

Why rape needs to be shown realistically on television
Metro, 29 September 2016
Emily wrote about why realistic portrayals of survivor experience matter, especially when survivors are so often silenced.

Hollyoaks and the need for survivor allies
Metro, 28 September 2016
In Emily’s first article with her own byline, she wrote about how the Hollyoaks consent storyline showed a masterclass in how not to be a friend, and called for stronger survivor allyship.

The Hollyoaks consent storyline
Huffington Post, 26 September 2016
Emily wrote about why the Hollyoaks consent storyline made for uncomfortable viewing, and why that discomfort mattered.

Nick did rape Ellie: a survivor response to Hollyoaks
Metro, 23 September 2016
Emily responded to the Hollyoaks Freshers Week storyline, writing about why it was rape, why “mixed signals” are a fallacy, and why consent education is critical.

Rape in mainstream media
London Live, 26 August 2016
Emily was invited onto London Live to discuss why she had chosen to waive her anonymity and write an open letter about the EastEnders storyline. Interviewed by Vanessa Baffoe, this was Emily’s first television appearance.
Archive note: the original London Live link may no longer be live.

EastEnders and the Dean Wicks verdict
Huffington Post, 23 August 2016
Emily’s open letter about the EastEnders storyline was also featured in Huffington Post, after which she was invited to become a blogger for the publication.

A survivor response to EastEnders
Metro, 22 August 2016
After watching the EastEnders Dean Wicks rape verdict episode, Emily wrote an open letter praising the producers for working with Rape Crisis to help ensure survivor voices were heard.

17+

Charities licensed

10,000+

People reached

est. 2017

Proven track record

ReConnected Life holds a vital place in the world, as through Emily’s coaching and her lived experiences she gives hope to survivors that with the right support they can survive following devastating experiences of rape and sexual trauma. Additionally, she demonstrates to survivors and also to wider society that people can actually move beyond surviving to post traumatic growth. This important message of hope and recovery is an essential one and shows the world that people can carry on and thrive even after rape and sexual trauma.

LISA THOMPSON, CEO Rape & Sexual Violence Project

It is essential that we support people who’ve experienced abuse beyond therapy, as there is much more to managing life post-trauma than handling the symptoms of PTSD. I’m excited that someone is finally offering coaching in this space and I look forward to seeing how ReConnected Life and the work Emily is doing can transform lives.

DR NINA BURROWES ninaburrowes.com

Sexual assault and abuse can have longstanding affects on sex, intimacy and relationships. It is fantastic that ReConnected Life aims to go beyond ‘recovery' from these experiences to also helping survivors to reclaim and reconnect with their lives and relationships. I look forward to seeing how this programme develops and the positive impact it may have on reducing stigma, increasing awareness and helping survivors to move forward with their lives.

DR SIOBHAN MARNOCH - Back on Track Psychology

From the moment Emily told me what she was doing, and how she was planning to support survivors of rape, I knew that I had to be part of it. And having worked alongside her now for almost a year, I can tell you that what she has pulled together is one of the most comprehensive and well thought through programmes I've encountered – on any topic! I sincerely hope that my daughters, sisters and girlfriends never experience the trauma of rape or sexual abuse. But if they do, I sincerely hope that they seek Emily's help sooner rather than later.

CAT TOWNSEND - The Good Alliance

It's been my absolute pleasure to be part of Emily's journey to helping women so profoundly. It’s just not OK that anyone is raped, under any circumstance. I wholeheartedly believe that there needs to be a paradigm shift and Emily is one of the many women taking on board that challenge. I am grateful that she has stepped up to become a powerful voice for the too many women sharing this particular pain. Her passion for changing the world, for transforming lives, is contagious and inspirational. Her perspectives are insightful and her programs complete, and transformational.

DR JOANNA MARTIN - www.joannamartin.com

I feel privileged to have met Emily and to have played a small part in helping her to get her message to the people who really need her. Her personal story of rape survival and getting her life to the place she is in now is beyond inspirational. She is absolutely on a mission to make sure that anyone who has suffered rape or sexual assault does not allow it to define the rest of their lives. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Emily. The world needs her.