A Merseyside charity that helps survivors of rape and sexual abuse has launched an urgent appeal amid a £100,000 funding shortfall that is forcing it to cut services.
RASA (Rape and Sexual Abuse Support) Merseyside provides victims and survivors of rape and sexual violence of all ages with support through counselling and therapy, legal advisory services and education and training.
Government funding for the charity has not increased in line with inflation over recent years, its operations manager said. Combined with the rise in National Insurance for businesses and charities that will come into force in April, the funding squeeze has forced the charity to dismiss posts within both children’s services and their legal advisory service, as well as reducing funding in other areas.
Lorraine Wood, Operations Manager of RASA Merseyside, claimed that despite the current government’s public pledge to halve violence against women and girls in the next decade, services like RASA Merseyside are still not treated as priority.
She said: “The biggest issue for me, here is the message that survivors get and it’s that they don’t matter, survivors don’t matter, their voice doesn’t matter, their care and support doesn’t matter”.
Ms Wood claimed that the cuts to the legal advisory service within the charity will cause victims to become disengaged in the lengthy legal process surrounding rape and sexual violence.
She said: “People are waiting up to three years to get to court. People will not stay engaged in that process without the ISVA’s (Independent Sexual Violence Advisors).
“The prosecution rates will become even lower and will effectively decriminalise rape and sexual abuse because the conviction rates are so low.”
Almost £10,000 has been raised so far and the ongoing campaign will see users of the service running marathons, as well as hosting quizzes, rave nights, poetry nights, art exhibitions and other fundraising events in an attempt to reach £100,000.
The charity is now calling on the public to donate, however, claiming that one in three women, one in six men and one in eight children in the UK require services like RASA, with the charity taking over 4000 referrals each year.
Ms Wood said: “Whether you know it or not, you will have someone in your life who has or will experience rape or sexual abuse.
“Think about the women and the girls and the boys that you love in your life and make that donation because rape and sexual abuse has no bounds.”
To donate to RASA Merseyside’s fundraiser or to access support from the service please visit https://www.rasamerseyside.org/.
