A Bucks charity supporting survivors of sexual assault and abuse in need of renewed government funding
Funding for charities like theirs is due to end by march 2025, with no guarantee of extension
A charity supporting survivors of sexual assault and abuse in Buckinghamshire is urging the government to renew vital funding, which is due to run out next year.
The Rape and Sexual Abuse Fund is what's helping services like the Sexual Assault and Abuse Support Service in Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes (SAASSBMK) exist.
However with Government funding due to end in March 2025, with yet no guarantee of being renewed, many charities like the SASSBMK are at risk of having to reduce their service or closing altogether.
Becky Osborne, CEO of the SAASSBMK, said: "It is a national emergency with the amount of people affected. One in four women and one in six children will experience rape or sexual assault in their lifetime."
"While it's great that there is now this understanding of the gravity of the issue, many rape crisis centres like ours are experiencing a decline in funding and support."
Last month, the Government labelled violence against women and girls a 'national emergency', which has been welcomed by charities supporting survivors, however without continued support for the work they do, the impact could be greater on an ever-increasing number of victims.
When it comes to perpetrators, Ms Osborne said around 98% are "going without any consequences whatsoever".
In addition to these figures, many survivors do not report their experiences to the police, with only about 15% coming forward, according to her.
She said: "It's an individual choice of whether someone wants to report their experience of sexual violence to the police or not. There should be equal service and support for women and girls who have experienced sexual violence, regardless of whether they reported it."
The potential funding shortfall comes at a time when demand for these services is at an all-time high.
Ms Osborne said: "On the one hand, we’re declaring a national emergency, and on the other, many centres like ours are looking at the possibility of having to reduce our services or even close altogether."
In response to this challenge, Rape Crisis England and Wales has launched a petition calling on the government to recommission the necessary funds to maintain these vital services.
"We need some kind of long-term commitment from the government," said Ms Osborne, adding that such a commitment should include education on consent and healthy relationships, perpetrator programs, and a more effective criminal justice response.
What do the Government say?
A Government spokesperson said:
"Funding for the Sexual Assault and Abuse Support Service Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes has not stopped. The Service will receive government funding through the Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner into 2025."
"The scale of violence against women and girls in our country is intolerable and this government will treat it as the national emergency that it is."
"Our measures will keep women safe from domestic abuse, rape and other sexual offences, stalking, harassment and other crimes as part of our mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade."