‘Completely essential’: Labour MP calls for more funding for sexual abuse support services which ‘saved her life’
Labor MP Charlotte Nichols knows first-hand the importance of sexual abuse support services, which she says are credited with saving her life.
The Warrington North MP revealed she was raped after an event she attended as an MP this week and had to wait nearly three years for a hearing.
He called on his government to increase funding for support services for victims of rape and sexual abuse, saying the current lack of accessibility risks survivors’ voices never being heard.
Ms Nichol’s brave intervention comes as Rape Crisis, a charity providing specialist services across the country, reports that 14,000 victims are currently on waiting lists. Three of the centers were forced to close last year, while the other two-thirds risked cutting off vital services.
To talk Independent, Ms Nichols said: “The services are absolutely vital. I wouldn’t have made it this far to the hearing without the support of my own independent sexual violence counselor, and I think it’s fair to say she saved my life.”
“I am personally aware of the issue and it is an issue that has been raised with me in terms of some significant funding pressures for services, both in terms of specialist support for victims under the age of 18, but also for adult survivors in my constituency, which is really lacking.”
Of those turned away, Ms. Nichols said she “couldn’t imagine anything more destabilizing at a time when you’re at your most vulnerable.”
Eve Gooder, 19, joined calls for more funding after attempting to reach out for help last year after being sexually abused online as a child more than a decade ago.
It was the first time she had spoken out about her abuse and she thought it would finally lead to her getting support. But after being rejected from four different under-resourced sexual abuse support centres, she questioned her decision to reach out.
“I had this feeling that maybe I should keep it inside or maybe I shouldn’t tell anyone,” he said. Independent.
Frustrated and discouraged by the difficulty of getting help, Ms Gooder started a petition calling on the government to provide more funding for specialist services.
The difficulty of getting support risks keeping victims silent, he said. “A lot of people like me can get hit at the first hurdle and then stop and have to deal with that trauma forever.
“After I got rejected from the third or fourth center, I sat down with myself and thought, this actually needs to change, because not only is it preventing people from getting the help they need, it’s also preventing people from reaching out to get help.”
“The most vital thing, apart from having a stable support system, is having an independent person to talk to one-on-one,” she said.
At least two-thirds of Rape Crisis centers may soon have to cut vital services; More than half say they expect to reduce counseling services.
Victims Commissioner Claire Waxman said: “Victim services are a lifeline for trauma survivors and those navigating the justice system facing unprecedented delays. “But these services are under enormous pressure, oversubscribed, underfunded and in some areas having to turn away victims when they need help most.
“These services are not a luxury; they are critical to the safety, recovery and access to justice of victims. With the Crown Court experiencing a record backlog, properly funded support is essential to prevent victims being dropped from the justice process.
“Ultimately, these services are vital to the recovery of the victim and will be equally important to the recovery of the justice system as a whole.”
The charity’s head of policy and public affairs, Maxime Rowson, said the sector had historically been underfunded.
The charity faced extreme uncertainty over its current funding; the government only informed them at the last minute whether it would go ahead.
“The situation is dire. We were on the edge just before Christmas, with our centers having to start issuing redundancy notices if we didn’t get approval for Ministry of Justice funding by the end of December,” Ms Rowson said.
The Ministry of Justice has confirmed it will continue funding until 2026/27, donating £21.3 million for services.
Ms Rowson added: “Funders are asking centers to cut back on the support they offer so they can support as many people as possible, but not as intensively as they need.
“We have heard police and crime commissioners telling centers that there should be no waiting lists and that they need to clear them without any additional funding or knowledge of the issues and demand.”
SARSAS, which supports survivors in Avon and Somerset, receives around 150 referrals each month and many of its services have waiting lists of more than two years.
Chief executive Lorri Weaving said: “We know that some survivors may not come forward or continue support due to these delays. “We recognize that our waiting lists are unacceptable.
“What we ultimately face is a funding crisis that, in my view, amounts to a national emergency.
“A coherent, long-term, cross-government funding approach that meets demand is urgently needed so that local specialist services can provide sustainable and timely support to survivors.”
Police record record rise in sexual offenses in year ending March 2025; It increased by 11 percent to 209,079. More than half of this increase can be attributed to the registration of two new sexual offenses introduced in the Online Safety Act 2023.
Chief executive Daisy Anderson said the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Center in Guildford, which supports survivors of sexual abuse aged 13 and over, was “oversubscribed and underfunded”.
“The lack of investment in specialist sexual violence services represents poor government strategy. The estimated cost of sexual violence to the UK economy runs into the hundreds of billions,” Ms Anderson said.
“Yet the Rape and Sexual Exploitation Support Fund stands at £21.3 million for 2026/7 for all of England and Wales.”
Lee Eggleston, of specialist service Synergy East, said the government’s funding in December was a “relief” but merely maintained services provided rather than meeting rising demand or actual costs.
“Centers still face a revolving door of competitive procurement, resorting to over-subscription and diminishing grants just to keep essential services running.”
A government spokesman said: “Violence against women and girls is an epidemic and we are treating it as an epidemic. In December last year we launched the VAWG Strategy, the largest crackdown on violence against women and girls in British history.
“As part of this, the Government is investing £550 million in victim and witness services over the next three years and just this week announced a further £6 million for a new scheme to provide specialist legal advice to rape victims through investigations and prosecutions.”
Rape Crisis offers support to those affected by rape and sexual abuse. You can call them in England and Wales on 0808 802 9999, in Scotland on 0808 801 0302 and in Northern Ireland on 0800 0246 991 or visit their website at: www.rapecrisis.org.uk. If you’re in the US, you can call Rainn at 800-656-HOPE (4673).
