Government's strategy to tackle violence against women and girls "lacks ambition and resourcing"
Somerset and Avon Rape and Sexual Abuse say there is a gap between the lived reality of sexual violence and ministers' plans
A local Rape Crisis centre says the Government’s strategy to tackle violence against women and girls lacks an "overarching vision for change".
Somerset and Avon Rape and Sexual Abuse (SARSAS) say while they welcome the strategy, that it "does not go far enough".
Ministers say they will be taking immediate steps to improve safety by increasing support for victims and survivors, increasing the number of perpetrators brought the justice, and to reduce the prevalence of violence against women and girls in the long-term.
However, CEO of SARSAS - Claire Bloor - tells us that the plans miss those who are abused in the home, at work, and at school:
"We're pleased to see that there’s a focus on prevention and on cultural change around rape and sexual abuse, but we're not necessarily seeing resourcing of that.
"We're seeing that there's a bit of a gap between the lived reality of sexual violence and the Government’s plans; because it's a huge focus on the safety of women at night and while that is hugely important, we're also really aware that the majority of rape and sexual abuse happens to people in their homes or with people that they know.
"Almost 90 per cent of survivors of rape and sexual abuse have known their perpetrators before the event - we need measures that target those women and children in homes and schools."
SARSAS say demand for their support services throughout the pandemic have been the highest they have ever seen and that the main needs for the people they support are access to specialist support and a criminal justice system that works for people affected by rape and sexual abuse.
They are calling for a joined-up thinking so that support offered meets the need of people who have experienced trauma to help them to recover from the long term physical and mental health impacts.
"I think the Government have made some decisions about where the funding goes that don’t really seem to fit about with what the sector has been telling them.
"We’re not quite sure why that gap has happened, but we have been talking a lot about the child being abused by a family member, the woman being raped by her husband, or the girl being harassed in school - some of the strategy tinkers around the edges with some of that, but as a big piece of Government strategy, it doesn’t have that overarching vision for change that we had hoped to see."
### **_Claire Bloor - CEO of Somerset and Avon Rape and Sexual Abuse_**
The Government has said it will be taking some immediate steps to improve safety for women and girls. This includes:
- A new national policing lead on Violence Against Women and Girls who will report into the Home Secretary-chaired National Policing Board. They will also be the point of contact for every police force to ensure best practice is shared and that progress on improving the response to these crimes is being monitored
- A review of options to limit use of Non-Disclosure Agreements in cases of sexual harassment in higher education
- A £5 Million ‘Safety of Women at Night’ Fund, in addition to the £25 million Safer Streets Fund Round 3, that focuses on the prevention of violence against women and girls in public spaces at night, including in the night-time economy. This could include targeting parks and alleyways, and routes from bars, restaurants and nightclubs as we see a return to the night-time economy
- Criminalising virginity testing, which some women and girls are being forced to undergo, to send a clear message that this practice is wholly unacceptable in our society
- Appointing two new Violence Against Women and Girls Transport Champions, to drive forward positive change and tackle the problems faced by female passengers on public transport
SARSAS is one of the only specialist services offering support to those who have experienced sexual violence in the rural areas of Avon and Somerset, and in 2019/20 it supported over 200 women with almost 2,000 individual counselling sessions.
The charity also provides a variety of specialist services including a service for people with learning disabilities or autism who have experienced rape or sexual assault.