Sharp rise in demand for sexual violence support

Suffolk Rape Crisis closed in July, which could partly explain the rise in referrals to Survivors in Transition

A charity supporting survivors of sexual violence said a spike in demand could partly be down to the closure of a similar service locally.

Survivors in Transition, based in Ipswich, Suffolk, said it had been receiving about 50-70 referrals per month, before it rose to 140 in July and 160 in August.

Suffolk Rape Crisis was forced to close due to funding uncertainty, but the CEO of Survivors in Transition said the rise also "coincided" with them "reopening a mental health referral pathway".

Fiona Ellis reassured clients they were "determined" it was not going to affect its quality of service but urged the government to give assurances to charities like hers.

Survivors in Transition supports men and women who have suffered sexual abuse or violence

"We’re waiting on a cliff edge for the spending review," she said.

"There's been an enormous investment by the previous government but we need some pretty quick assurances that it's going to stay the same for now, but with a view to that increasing going forward.

"Otherwise there’ll be more sad Suffolk Rape Crisis stories down the line."

She said her charity had planned for the impact of the Suffolk Rape Crisis’s closure and would cope with the influx of demand, making sure referrals were followed up promptly.

"We’re a dynamic organisation and I'm determined it isn’t going to affect the quality of service we provide."

Fiona Ellis said she was "determined" her charity would continue to help all who needed support

Labour MP for Lowestoft Jess Asato chairs an all-party parliamentary group focussed on domestic abuse.

She did not comment on the funding of charities but insisted the government had "made a world-leading pledge to halve violence against women and girls".

She said: "That mission begins with reforms to policing and the justice system – with each police force having a specialist rape and serious sexual offence unit, each 999 control room getting a dedicated domestic abuse advisor, and specialist courtrooms being opened to deal with the delays and backlog of cases.

"But what we also need is a culture shift that sees the focus being placed on the perpetrators of violence rather than their victims."

Suffolk MP Jess Asato said Labour was committed to halving violence against women and girls