Coventry Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre (CRASAC) is the only specialist sexual violence support service within Coventry.
The charity relies on funding to provide specialist therapy, independent sexual violence advice and advocacy to over 1,500 local adults and children every year who are struggling with the devastating impacts of sexual abuse.
In December 2023, CRASAC was informed that its funding from Coventry City Council will cease in 2024. The demand for CRASAC’s specialist expertise continues to rise and there is currently a waiting list of almost 500 adults and children.
It is due to the reduction in funding and increasing demand that the charity has had to make the difficult decision to close its counselling waiting list.
The scale and impact of sexual violence is largely hidden in society. One in five children will be subjected to child sexual abuse and one in five women over the age of 16. The vast majority of victims (between 80% and 90%) never disclose their abuse or report their experiences to the police. With men, this can be as high as 95%.
Many of CRASAC’s clients struggle with a range of mental health problems because of their experiences. This includes post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, complex trauma, substance abuse problems, and over half are or have been suicidal.
The vast majority of referrals into CRASAC come from health and statutory services with no alternative provision for those who want to access specialist counselling.
Long term sustainable funding needs to be urgently made available to ensure that CRASAC’s services remain open, and the charity can continue to provide the best possible support to the local people who need it.
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