Rape crisis service 'a lifeline' to victims of abuse

A woman who suffered years of sexual abuse as a child said her mental health would never have recovered without the help she received from specialist counsellors.

Susannah, whose real identity is being protected, said she was sexually abused and raped by her father during her childhood. In her teens, the abuse caused her mental health to spiral and she was admitted for treatment after trying to take her own life.

She said it was only after contacting Devon Rape Crisis and Sexual Abuse Services, and after a two-year wait for counselling, that she got the right help.

The government has said it is investing £550m over the next three years in victim and witness services.

Susannah said appropriate counselling services were crucial to survivors of sexual abuse.

"I was sexually abused by my father starting at a very young age - as a toddler, but I didn't speak about it to anyone at the time and he went to prison when I was five for abusing one of my friends," she said.

She said the ordeal left her vulnerable and by the time she was 10-years-old, she had been sexually abused by about 10 people in different situations.

"I didn't feel like anyone was keeping me safe even though I had a long line of social workers, I was a ward of court and I was on the child protection register. I felt no one was really listening."

After moving to Devon, Susannah contacted Devon Rape Crisis and Sexual Abuse Services.

At the time, the charity had a long waiting list and she had to wait two years for counselling. But the help she received was a breakthrough, said Susannah.

"I'd never used a specialist service before and it was the first time I was able to believe that it was his fault and the blame lay with him and the other men who abused and raped me," she said.

Susannah said she previously felt she needed a diagnosis to access support which was not always the right fit for her.

"Those diagnoses never fit and felt damaging, but being able to use specialist services with people who accept you have been through some awful things is so needed."

The volume of sexual offences recorded by the police has increased in England and Wales over the last decade, according to the Office for National Statistics.

The latest figures for the year to March 2025 showed an increase of 11% to 209,079 police recorded offences, compared with the previous year.

In 2025, Devon Rape Crisis and Sexual Abuse Services closed its waiting list for counselling services due to a three-year backlog in demand.

"We are a service who wants to be there for every survivor at all times, but due to funding restraints, we didn't have the resources and staffing to provide a really good service and to be there for everyone who needed us," said head of service delivery Joss Leicester.

"We also did some research which showed the longer people wait, the higher levels of suicidal idealisation, because when you reach out for help, you are reaching out at a time you are really desperate for it and having then to be told you have to wait to get that vital counselling is really harmful.

"Closing the waiting list for counselling enabled us to see those people who we already had waiting."

The charity has since reopened the list through a new five-year sexual violence service, mainly funded by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner.

Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez said: "In Devon and Cornwall, we have seen a concerning rise in recorded sexual offences over the years. Since 2010, the number of these crimes has more than tripled. This investment will ensure the help victims need is available."

A government spokesperson said: "Violence against women and girls is an epidemic, and we're treating it as one.

"In December last year, we launched the VAWG Strategy - the largest crackdown on this heinous crime in British history.

"As part of this, the government is investing £550m over the next three years in victim and witness services, and just this week announced an initial £6m over two years for a new scheme to provide rape victims with specialist legal advice through investigations and prosecutions."