According to the Office for National Statistics, in the UK from 2014 to 2019 rape cases have nearly doubled from 20 thousand to 41 thousand. As these numbers of rape statistics continues to rise, it has become a problem for rape crisis centres to assist with counselling services, because there is a lack of funding.
Jocelyn Anderson, chief executive officer of Worcestershire Rape & Sexual Abuse Support Centre explains just how deep this problem really is.
Anderson said, “a recent report from England Crisis and Wales estimates that there is around about 6,000 people on a waiting list for counselling services at rape crisis centres around the country and 172 of those are children.”
In order to assist with this issue of rape crisis centres not having enough resources to help victims of rape get their counselling services they need after experiencing rape, the government issued a response this past March – to grant 79 rape crisis centres 24 million pounds over a three year cycle, which is a 10 percent increase in what the government was already providing.
However, there are many critics who say that 24 million pounds is just not going to be enough money in order to provide each individual the counselling services that are needed, because even more money is needed in order to provide the counselling services to the many victims of rape who are on a waiting list.
Tanith Ollier, a rape survivor, says having a rape crisis centre to go was a huge part of her recovery in the aftermath of her rape attack. Without getting the necessary counselling services that her rape crisis centre provided her, she’s not sure how she could have coped.
