Campaign to secure funding for Rape Crisis Centres launched by the New Statesman

14 March 2008 in Campaign, England, Rape and Sexual Assault, Wales

Sexual Violence and Rape Crisis

The number of Rape Crisis-affiliated centres in England and Wales has nearly halved from 68 to 38 since 1984. We believe this is a failure of successive governments and in the coming weeks we will be mounting a campaign for proper funding for this vital service.

Sexual violence is a blight – the British Crime Survey suggests there are more than 300,000 rapes and serious sexual assaults each year. Most are not reported. One in four women have experience rape or attempted rape. One in seven women have been coerced into sex. Yet conviction rates have plummeted from 33% in the 1970s to around 5% now. This brings shame on us all. Rape Crisis have provided help for countless victims of sexual violence many of whom only come forward years after being attacked. As we will demonstrate here in the coming days, this is vital support and it needs proper funding. The Conservatives and Lib Dems are backing our campaign as are a number of key organisations such as End Violence Against Women and the Fawcett Society.

In the coming days we will publish articles on sexual violence from a number of contributors including Bea Campbell, Theresa May, Trevor Phillips, Professor Liz Kelly, Prof. Joanna Bourke and many more.

You can help too by adding your name to this Downing Street petition (http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/RapeCrisis/).

You could also write to your MP http://www.newstatesman.com/action

http://www.newstatesman.com/subjects/sexual-violence-and-rape-crisis

From here there are links to the following articles:

Men can stop rape
By Pat McGann and Steve Glaude 13 March 2008
The US organisation that aims to mobilise men to stop violence against women

Rape the forgotten issue
By Liz Kelly 12 March 2008
Despite the fact sexual violence affects one in four women the issue has all but disappeared from the political radar

Why I’m backing Rape Crisis
By Theresa May 11 March 2008
Conservative politician and shadow minister for women Theresa May explains why she thinks Rape Crisis centres are vital

Why this silence over rape?
By Beatrix Campbell 10 March 2008
It’s not the law on rape, it’s the culture from the police canteens, to the courts, juries, the pubs and kitchens. And why the eerie silence from ministers?

Rape myths past and present
By Joanna Bourke 10 March 2008
Popular prejudices estimate about half rape victims are lying, but research shows just 3% of rape allegations are false – yet another myth about sexual violence

How Rape Crisis helped me
By Constance McCullagh 10 March 2008
How one survivor of sexual abuse turned to Rape Crisis, how they helped her and how we all owe them a debt