THE BOSS of a sexual abuse support centre has spoken out in support of survivors following comments made on an article about funding issues.

The Worcester News reported last week on the lack of funding received by West Mercia Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre (WMRSASC).

Comments made by readers on the article suggested that ‘funds could be better used elsewhere’, while another said ‘it seems most sexual assaults never actually happened’.

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Jocelyn Anderson, the centre’s chief executive officer, said she worries that comments such as these could ‘stop a victim from speaking out’.

“I wonder if the people who write things like this realise the potential impact of their words. Or how they could be silencing people around them when they express these views?

"I guarantee, given the prevalence of sexual violence, they will know someone who has been raped or assaulted.”

The centre last year supported more than 3,000 victims of rape and sexual abuse, some as young as five years old.

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Last year, the centre received an additional 3171 new referrals from across Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

There are currently 550 clients waiting for counselling – 139 of whom are children and young people.

The Police and Crime Commissioner funds the majority of the centre’s advocacy services, but there is no reliable, sustainable funding for the counselling services.

Ms Anderson added: “We are not a popular service to fund – no one really wants to think about rape or who perpetrates it – people prefer to pretend it doesn’t happen.

"We are the sort of service that you only find when you need us - hopefully, we will still be here if and when you do.

“False allegations of rape are extremely rare.

"In fact, most people who are raped or experience another form of sexual violence never tell the police - only 29% of our clients reported the crimes against them to police.

"Research shows that men are 300 times more likely to be a victim of rape than be arrested due to a false allegation of rape.

“No one asks for or ever deserves to be raped, it doesn’t matter what you were wearing, if you had been drinking if you were out or if you were at home – the blame for any sexual attack has to remain with the perpetrator.

“People need and deserve support to recover. So, while some readers may think that the funding could go elsewhere – ask yourself if it was your child, parent, partner or one of your loved ones that needed support, would you still feel the same?”