Rape Crisis (England and Wales)

1. Rape Crisis (England and Wales) Sexual Violence Current Issues

2. The Work of Rape Crisis (England and Wales) • Rape Crisis (England and Wales) is the national network of rape crisis centres. • We were established in December 2003. • The Board of Trustees provide support to members and pro-actively raise awareness of the issues facing rape crisis groups. • Campaign for secure funding for the sector and inform national work on the experiences of the women that use Rape Crisis services. • To become a member of Rape Crisis (England and Wales) a group needs to: –Define itself as a Rape Crisis Centre –Provide specialist, dedicated services to women/girls who have experienced rape and/or other forms of sexual violence, as children or as adults. for more information www.rapecrisis.org.uk

3. Rape Crisis • Voluntary but professional – specialist service provision by experienced qualified staff • Each centre responds to an average of 2,331 calls each a year • Service user led – no time limited service provision • 81% of women who contact Rape Crisis Centres contact us about an incident that happened more than a year ago. • 87% were raped or experienced other sexual abuse by someone they knew. • Around 70% of service users are adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse with approx 30% having experienced a recent incident as an adult. • 18% had reported the rape to the police. • 93% would need additional health and mental health interventions if they were not being supported through Rape Crisis.

4. Prevalence and disclosure • One in four (24%), women had experienced some form of sexual assault in their lifetime • In 2005 there were over 14,000 reported rapes in UK and Wales and an estimated 80,000 unreported rapes. • More than half of all rapes of women (54%) occur before age 18 • Women who are raped before the age of 18 are twice as likely to be raped as adults • 91% of women who have been seriously assaulted will tell no-one at the time • Almost half (47 per cent) of those who disclosed experiences of sexual violence in the Savi study reported that they had never previously disclosed that abuse to others – when asked why they hadn’t previously disclosed, the overwhelming response was that no-one had asked... • Most people who disclosed sexual violence did so to friends (71 per cent) or family members (43 per cent). Family members were more likely to be told in the case of child sexual abuse.

5. Why women aren’t reporting • Fear of not being believed - ‘without consent’ police officers assume that 23% of rape allegation are false compared to the actual figure – 3% (a Gap or Chasm) • Not naming the event as rape (and/or crime) • Fear of blame or judgement • distrust of the criminal justice system • Reporting rape seen by many women as re-victimisation • Least likely to report where the perpetrator is known (85.7%) • Fear of further attack or intimidation • ‘Real rape’ (stranger 8%) vs date and acquaintance rape

6. Crisis in Rape Crisis • Funding!! “why fund a service when they can refer for free?” • National service standards • Tendering and commissioning • 1984 there were 68 centres, in 2007 there are 38 affiliated member groups • Postcode Lottery of service provision – the luck of the draw? • The average waiting list is 3-4 months with some women having to wait longer than that • Reduced service provision • Staff redundancies (coordinators)/reduced salaries/unpaid • Staff and service user uncertainty = low morale/undervalued • Targets for DV but not SV

7. The cost of sexual violence to the public purse • 2003/4 estimated cost of sexual offences was 8.5 billion • With each rape costing over £76,000 • World Health Organisation estimate that up to 60% of women in the UK mental health service population have been sexually abused in their lifetimes • 20% use health in the first year – by the second year, 50% are ‘embedded’ in the health system (Dr Maureen Dalton)

8. Campaigning and Lobbying • Local groups – Regional Networks - Rape Crisis Co-ordinating Group • Rape Crisis and WNC working group (and SV subgroup) campaigning and lobbying Government (Home Office and DH) to include sexual violence in Public Service Agreements • Cross Government Stakeholders Group on Sexual Violence (and funding subgroup) • Supportive CDRPs lobbying government for local targets on sexual violence

9. Outcomes • Cross Government Sexual Violence and Abuse Action Plan and Implementation Guidance • Public Service Agreements 23 and 24 which specifically mention sexual violence • National Indicator 26 – ‘Specialist support to victims of a serious sexual offence’ PSA 23 • PCT Commissioning Guidance for Sexual Violence and Abuse services

10. Cross Government Action Plan on Sexual Violence and Abuse (SVAAP) and its implementation guidance • Sets out how the Government plans to deliver on 3 key objectives on sexual violence and how local delivery partners can measure their performance on: • Increasing access to support and health services • Improving the criminal justice response • Maximising the prevention of sexual violence

11. Public Service Agreements • Represent the Government Priorities for public services for three year periods • Backed up by National Indicator Set (NIS) of 200 Performance Indicators to monitor delivery • LA responsible and accountable for delivery

12. PSA 23: Make communities safer • Reduce the most serious violence, including tackling serious sexual offences and domestic violence • Recognition of psychological harm • Recognition that serious violence is more often a cause and consequence of inequality

13. PSA 24: Deliver a more effective, transparent and responsive CJS for victims and the public • Key principles to guide delivery: 1. effective in bringing offences to justice 2. the public confident and engaged 3. the needs of victims at its heart 4. simple, efficient processes

14. Public Service Agreements PSA 24 cont’d • Local Criminal Justice Board responsible for overseeing delivery of a co-ordinated approach • Rape Performance • Victim satisfaction

15. Local Area Agreements • Three year agreement between a local area and central government. • Regional Government Offices in negotiation with LSPs agree LAA priorities for action and resources • Describes how LA intend to deliver on national priorities and respond to local need. • Local groups need to engage with LAA leads to ensure that PSA directives are included

16. Engaging with LAAs • Find out who the is Lead on your Local Area Agreement Partnership Board (you should be able to get this information from your Local or District Authority) • Contact them for an invitation to the next meeting. • Sexual (and domestic) violence are ‘cross cutting issues. Specifically target statutory agencies that fall within priority areas i.e. crime, health, safeguarding adults etc and contact the LAA leads for those. • Find out if your LAA will be having Gender Equality Impact Assessment (this means that the targets/indicators and budget will have to be assessed in line with the Gender Equality Duty)

17. Implementation of SVAAP • Local Partnerships • Delivery Agencies To deliver services in line with the 3 objectives: • Prevention • Victim Care • Criminal Justice

18. Implementation of SVAAP • Will include such things as: • Sexual Violence Forums • Local Sexual Violence Action Plan • Independent Sexual Violence Advisors (ISVA) • Multi-Agency Training • Funding sexual violence voluntary sector • PCT and LA Commissioning Guidance • Rape Performance

19. RAPE CRISIS (ENGLAND & WALES ) Angie Conroy – Policy Officer www.rapecrisis.org.uk Based at SERICC www.sericc.org.uk 01375 381322