53.5% increase of sexual offences since 2013

There has been an increase of sexual offences reported to the police in England and Wales Since 2013.​​​

From reports made by the government it shows that the cause of this is due to several reasons. These are numbers made by reported incidence by a broad range of victim-based by those interviews and not just reported.

Office for National Statistics reports show the increase of these crimes has grown from the improvements they've made.

“improvements in crime recording practices and processes by the police and an increase in the willingness of victims to come forward and report offences particularly sexual offences, of which 25% were non-recent offences.”

This noticeable variable has increased from the introductions of National Crime Recording Standards (NCRS) was introduced in April 2002. Other factors include historical offences following operation Yewtree, a police investigation led by Metropolitan Police service in 2012 who focus on sexual abuse allegation predominantly abuse of children against TV personality Jimmy Savile and others.

Charity helpline have also seen an increase number of reports. With new charities and help lines now available many victims contact charities as a form of help. Rape Crisis England & Wales have said they responded to an average over 3,000 a week in 2016 and have seen a 17% increase of specialist support since 2014-2015.

Why victims prefer charities

Mankind Initiative, a help line for men who have been or are in abusive relationships and Rape & Sexual Violence Project (RSVP) another help line for all ages and gender shed light on the situation.

Mark Brooks, Chairman from ManKind Initiative said:

“Yes, we found that male victims prefer to call charities as we give emotional support and confirmation that they are in a violent relationship, if they want advice on reporting we tell them what evidence they would need to provide to the police.”

A representative (RSVP) said:

“We support survivors to report abuse to the police, and our ISVAs (Independent Sexual Violence Advocates) are there with you every step of the way, from accompanying you to give evidence, to getting updates on the case. If the case goes to court, your ISVA will be with you and can arrange special measure, such as giving evidence via a video link."

RSVP added:

“Of the people currently accessing our service, approximately 35% have reported to the police. This figure does of course vary and may not be reflective of national statistics, but as a current snapshot it does tell us that many survivors of abuse are looking for support quite distinct from the criminal justice process. We are also finding that more people are reporting sexual violence to the police than ever before.”

Anonymity

Another reason why victims prefer to call charities is because of the anonymity according to Brooks.

“Half of the men who call said they only call because the help line is anonymous, the find anonymity important and we don’t ask for their names, we are there to provide help and don’t want to make them do anything they don’t want to do.”

To those who contact Mankind Initiative they offer three main services:

1. They listen, allow them to talk about the problem, get it off their chest.

2. The second is to sign post them to an organisation in their local community

3. They help them escape from the relationship,

“These three services don’t need names and allow them to stay anonymous.”

This is a factor that RSVP have also realised and respect:

“The majority of people who contact us give their names, but we can support people who wish to stay anonymous too. Our telephone helpline is an anonymous service; you don’t need to give your name or you could use a fake name – that’s absolutely fine. The helpline is a place where you can call and speak freely about your feelings, you won’t be judged or questioned.”

Like ManKind Initiative RSVP have services are available to survivors regardless as to whether or not they choose to report to the police. These include:

1. One-to-one specialist sexual violence and abuse counselling.

2. Advocacy provided by specialist Independent Sexual Violence Advocates (ISVAs) - supporting victims practically and emotionally to access crisis support, including specialist LGBT advocacy.

3. Social groups including women only, mixed gender, and asylum-seeker groups.

4. Helpline service.

5. Self-help groups and written information.

Increase of calls

The Mankind Initiative has experienced an increase number of calls.

“Over the last 10 years we have realised an increase of call we get 1500 a year well 10 years ago we’d get less than half.”

RSVP broke down the numbers with those who have given their information but it does not include the victims who have stayed anonymous.

“April 2015 – March 2016 we supported 4193 survivors of sexual violence and abuse; a 54% increase from the previous year. This year, that figure is set to increase again. For this reason, we face funding challenges. More survivors are seeking the support that they need and deserve, while funding for charities is decreasing along with mental health support social care cuts. 84% of clients are female, but we support survivors of any gender. We support survivors of any age, from very small children to elderly clients. 43% of clients are BME/not white British."

The issue with charities is that they are non-profit organisations and rely on donations to help victims. You can donate or volunteer for RSVP and ManKind Initiative.