Hello
This week marks national Sexual Abuse and Sexual Violence Awareness Week. This year the theme is ‘It’s Not Ok’.
Rape Crisis England and Wales recently reported that 1 in 4 women and 1 in 18 men have been raped or sexually assaulted since the age of 16 and 1 in 6 children have experienced sexual abuse in their lifetime.
In my office, we have a dedicated Victims Commissioning team who work with numerous service providers across our county, giving help and support to those in need.
It’s always helpful to raise awareness of support services during weeks like this but we should be mindful that abuse and violence happens all year round, leaving long-lasting and often life-changing impacts on victims.
That’s why it’s so important that police, service providers and our criminal justice partners take victims and survivors of sexual violence seriously, allowing their voices and experiences to be heard, especially when designing services for them.
Tackling sexual violence and ensuring we have high-quality services in place remains a priority in my Police and Crime Plan for the next four years.
Whilst we are, sadly, experiencing the highest volume of reported serious sexual offences since 2016, it is nevertheless reassuring to see that Sussex Police solved more rape offences last year than 2022 and 2023 combined.
In the financial year 2024/25, funding from my office has provided over £1.6million to 11 organisations who provide services supporting women, men and children who have been victims of sexual violence or abuse. Nearly 3,500 individuals have been supported by these services since April last year.
You can read more about the week on my website.
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