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Offences against Children: Victim Support Schemes

Answer

This Government remains absolutely committed to tackling child sexual abuse. We have been appalled by the recent terrible accounts of abuse in Rotherham and the failings that allowed it to continue for so long. In response, the Home Secretary is chairing a series of Secretaries of State meeting, which I also attend, to look at how we learn the lessons here, including how victims of currentand historical child sexual abuse are supported.

These meetings are building on the work of the Home Office-led National Group to tackle sexual violence against children and young people. This group, which I chair, has overseen the delivery of a range of improvements for victims of child sexual abuse. They include measures to improve the court process forvictims of sexual abuse and exploitation as well as publication of a newVictims’ Code setting out enhanced entitlements for victims of the most serious crimes, including sexual offences, and an enhanced role for agenciesin supporting victims through the criminal justice system.

This Government has ring-fenced nearly £40 million of funding up to 2015 for specialist local support services and national helplines for victims of sexual abuse and other forms of Violence against Women and Girls. We have committed funding of £1.72 million per year to part fund 87 Independent Sexual Violence Advisors posts which provide independent advocacy to victims of sexual violence, including, in some cases, children. Within this £40 million, Ministry of Justice is providing £4.4million per year until March 2016 to fund 86 rape support centres across England and Wales.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

210967

Session

2014-15

Subjects

Offences against children Sexual offences Victim support schemes

Link

View this Written question on www.parliament.uk