New guidance has been published for sex offence survivors with the aim of empowering them to speak to the media should they wish to.

The Independent Press Standards Organisation has published the guidance, which also informs survivors about what to expect from journalists.

It aims to help people understand the rules which newspapers, magazines and digital news services regulated by IPSO must follow when reporting on sexual offences.

The guidance was introduced during a roundtable discussion at the Women’s Aid Conference, held in Birmingham last week.

Jane Debois, head of standards and regulation at IPSO, said: “Our work with representative organisations, such as Women’s Aid supports our efforts to promote high standards of journalism among the publications we regulate.

“We are proud of this work and this latest information for the public on the reporting of sexual offences should provide important help for women and organisations who support them.

“In addition, IPSO has guidance for journalists on reporting of sexual offences which provides a framework to report on these issues appropriately and with sensitivity.”

Teresa Parker, head of media, brand & relationships at Women’s Aid, added: “At Women’s Aid we are really pleased to welcome IPSO to speak at our national conference for the second year running, to reflect on working together to encourage best practice in the reporting of domestic abuse, and to introduce to our member services the new guidance on the reporting of sexual offences we have advised on.

“We really value the opportunity for our member organisations to speak directly to IPSO, to better understand press regulation and have the opportunity to ask questions and share experiences.”