United Nations supports call for government action on the ‘crisis in Rape Crisis’

The Committee for the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) has called on the Government to increase and sustain its funding to women’s organisations; assess the impact of commissioning on women’s groups; protect women-only services; and increase services for victims of violence against women.

CEDAW’s report on its July examination of the UK Government’s efforts to eliminate discrimination against women and promote women’s equality cites a number of serious government failings, including the lack of sustainable funding for women’s voluntary and community organisations, specifically Rape Crisis centres.

International recognition of the ‘crisis in Rape Crisis’ has come at a crucial time in the campaign to secure a future for centres. Today, an open-letter to the Prime Minister, calling on him to end the crisis, has been published.

Signatories to the letter include: MPs Theresa May and Lynne Featherstone; Louise Court, Editor of Cosmopolitan; Katherine Rake, Director of Fawcett; Julie Bentley, Chief Executive of fpa; journalists Kira Cochrane, Polly Toynbee, Suzanne Moore, Deborah Orr and Beatrix Campbell; Shami Chakrabarti, Director of Liberty; Dana Hovig, Chief Executive of Marie Stopes International; author Shere Hite; Kevin Curley, Chief Executive of NAVCA; Stuart Etherington Chief Executive of NCVO; and Stephen Bubb, Chief Executive of ACEVO.

There are more than 300,000 rapes and serious sexual assaults each year. Rape Crisis centres are one of the few sources of specialist support for many female rape victims.

Research published in March 2008 by the Women’s Resource Centre and Rape Crisis (England and Wales) found that Rape Crisis centres are currently facing a severe financial crisis. Nine centres have closed in the last five years; 69% of centres identified that their funding is unsustainable; and 79% of grants received in 2006-07 were for one year or less. The constant and ongoing struggle to secure resources is taking a heavy toll on centres’ ability to continue providing essential services to survivors of sexual violence.

“Without urgent intervention, Rape Crisis centres will not be able to survive, and the needs of women survivors of sexual violence will not be met. The Government needs to prioritise the well-being of women and girls who deserve the choice of specialist, women-only services”, said Nicole Westmarland, Chair of Rape Crisis (England and Wales).

Although the Government has announced ‘emergency’ funding of £1 million to halt further closures this year, this money is a one-off payment which does nothing to secure the sustainability of the sector in the long-term. Unless this issue of sustainable funding is addressed now, it is feared that more Rape Crisis centres will close next year.

“How many more centres of vital, specialist, life-saving support is the Government willing to lose? The funding crisis facing centres is not difficult to solve, but there needs to be the political will to do so”, said Vivienne Hayes, Chief Executive of the Women’s Resource Centre.


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Notes to the editors

1. For interviews with:
Rape Crisis centres, contact Sheila or Lee at SERICC on 01375 381322
Women’s Resource Centre, contact Tania on 07956 616 403

2. The open-letter to the Prime Minister can be found here.

3. CEDAW’s Concluding Observations on the UK Government’s report on eliminating discrimination against women and promoting women’s equality can be found at:
www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cedaw/docs/CEDAW.C.GBR.CO.6.pdf

4. The ‘Crisis in Rape Crisis’ report, published in March 2008, which outlines the state of the Rape Crisis sector can be found at: www.wrc.org.uk/resources/wrcs_research_and_reports.aspx

5. The prevalence of sexual violence in the UK is high – at least 32% of children, mostly girls, experience some form of childhood sexual abuse; the British Crime Survey found that 45% of women have experienced some form of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking; and it is conservatively estimated that 300,000 women suffer rape and serious sexual assault every year.

6. The combined annual income of 35 Rape Crisis (England and Wales) members was just over £3.5m. In 2004-05 the Government spent twice this amount each week on advertising and public relations. Victim Support received £30m from the Government in 2005-06. The median average annual income for Rape Crisis centres is £81,598 – only marginally more than the cost, to the state, of one rape. (From the Crisis in Rape Crisis report)

7. The average value of grant funding received by Rape Crisis centres is low so it was not surprising that Rape Crisis centres submitted a disproportionate number of applications compared with the funding received. For example, one organisation received just £77,000 (in total) from 14 funders. Many centres stated that they felt compelled to keep costs low in funding applications, such as costing salaries well below the market value, in order to improve their chances of receiving any funding. (From the Crisis in Rape Crisis report)

8. Rape Crisis (England and Wales) was set up and registered as a charity to support the work of Rape Crisis centres in England and Wales. We provide co-ordination and support to 38 affiliated member groups and campaigns and lobby to raise awareness of the issues of sexual violence in the wider community and with local and national government. For more information visit: www.rapecrisis.org.uk.

9. Women’s Resource Centre is a charity which supports women’s organisations to be more effective and sustainable. We provide training, information, resources and one-to-one support on a range of organisational development issues. We also lobby decision makers on behalf of the women’s not-for-profit sector for improved representation and funding. Our members work in a wide range of fields including violence against women, employment, education, rights and equality, the criminal justice system and the environment. They deliver services to and campaign on behalf of some of the most marginalised communities of women. For more information visit: www.wrc.org.uk.