£3.9m awarded to specialist rape and sexual violence charities

Victims of rape and sexual violence in the North West will be better supported following a £3.9 million investment in specialist services announced today (Thursday).

The Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Fund (RASASF), initially launched in 2011, is part of the Government’s commitment to quadruple funding for victim support services by 2025 compared to 2010.      

Projects set to be funded for the next two years as a direct result of today’s cash boost include: 

·       Greater Manchester Rape Crisis, which offers female only support including specialised services for ethnic minority women and survivors of sexual abuse in a religious setting. 

·       We are Survivors, a male-specific support provider offering a very survivor-centred approach. 

·       Trafford Rape Crisis, which offers holistic support including specific programmes for Black and minoritised women 

The news comes as new figures show the Government has achieved its third and final ambition in its landmark End-to-End Rape Review 18 months ahead of target - restoring Crown Prosecution Service charges to 2016 levels.   

Victims have benefitted from funded support services for over 10 years thanks to the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Fund, which was recently extended as one of the commitments in the Government’s Rape Review.   

The fund was informed by rape victims to better understand their experiences and what they want from support services, helping to inform the commissioning of future support for victims.   

62 grants have been awarded to organisations across the country to offer victims tailored support programmes, including counselling and therapeutic services, advocacy, outreach, and group activities.  

Duncan Craig OBE, Chief Executive Officer of We Are Survivors, said: “We are over the moon to be in receipt of a grant of £746,843 over the next two years from the MOJ RASASF grant.

"This money will really help us meet the continuing growing demand of male survivors here in a city marred by the biggest rape case in British legal history, all victims whom were male.  

“We asked for investment in our efforts to support men speaking out by increasing the number of therapy sessions and multiplying the spaces available; we asked for investment to help us continue to support male survivors to build communities; and we asked for investment to help us deliver support to those survivors entering and going through the criminal justice system as they spend longer in it.

"We expect to see a 35% increase in requests for support over the next two years and this award enables us to get well underway with meeting that increased need.” 

Anne Stebbings, CEO of Greater Manchester Rape Crisis, said: “Greater Manchester Rape Crisis asked a group of survivors to tell us the difference the services funded by the MOJ have made to their lives.

"These are some of their responses:  

"Because of this funding   

“I am not alone”  

“I have lived another year”  

“I have hope”  

“I have a voice” 

The funding comes as CPS data published today shows charges for adult rape cases increased to 567 in the latest quarter (January-March 2023), 5% over the 2016 quarterly average and Rape Review ambition of 538.

This means the Government has already met all 3 key ambitions in the Rape Review ahead of schedule – restoring the number of police referrals, CPS charges and cases reaching court to 2016 levels.    

In July all 43 police forces across England and Wales, and all rape prosecutors across the country began implementing a new approach to dealing with rape and other serious sexual offences, ensuring forces conduct thorough investigations which put the focus on the suspect and centre the rights and needs of victims.     

This new approach, developed through Operation Soteria and previously piloted in 19 police forces and nine Crown Prosecution Service Areas, uses academic evidence and insight to enable forces and prosecutors to transform their response to rape and serious sexual offences.  

The Rape Review progress report published last month shows improvements have been made in response to rape across every stage of the criminal justice system and, crucially, data suggests more and more victims are reporting these abhorrent crimes to the police – demonstrating an increase in victim confidence.   

 A £1.2 million training programme has also been launched for Independent Sexual Violence and Domestic Abuse Advisors who provide emotional and practical support to victims.

The Government is funding 1,000 of these posts and the training to make sure these vulnerable victims get better help and stay engaged with the criminal justice system. 

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