"I think people understand their case might not go to court, but we're validating their experience and helping them heal by listening to them."
Josephine Wood has seen attitudes towards sexual violence change significantly since she first joined RASA Merseyside. Josephine, known as Jo to her friends and colleagues, has supported thousands of survivors of sexual crimes since she joined the organisation in 2004.
RASA is a counselling and support service that was first founded back in 1986 after the rape and murder of a young woman in Birkenhead. The grass-roots organisation, which also has offices in Bootle, has grown since then to support 3,500 victims of sexual violence each year and helped transform their lives through one simple task - listening to them.
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"I think attitudes towards sexual crimes have changed significantly in the last few years," said Josephine, who works as RASA's finance and strategic manager. "People have started to talk about it a lot more and over the years people have come forward. We've seen some high profile cases where celebrities are involved and people are horrified.
"I think this has opened the eyes of some people who have thought 'it isn't just me this has happened to, this is much bigger'. And I think the government and the media, have taken note of this as well."
Recent figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed just shy of 200,000 sexual crimes were recorded nationally in the year up to September 2022. The annual report revealed 4,860 sexual offences had been recorded here in Merseyside - a 23% increase compared to the previous year.
While this may first appear a worrying increase, Merseyside Police told the ECHO it believes it comes down to victims feeling more confident in coming forward with information against offenders. Deputy Chief Inspector Ian Critchley said: "We want to make Merseyside a place where women and girls feel safe and can live their lives free from fear and harassment, but we know this is not something we can do alone.
"Violence against women and girls is a problem across society and needs a collaborative solution. As a society we need to continue to take a strong stance against attacks on women and girls who should be empowered to live their lives without fear of sexual offences."
Jo, who was awarded an MBE for her work with survivors of sexual abuse, told the ECHO she believes this to be true and points to the work RASA is doing with the police, the local authorities and the universities as evidence. Jo added some of the most important work going on in Merseyside at the moment to reduce sexual crimes is around the hospitality industry.
RASA has worked with licensed premises to train door and bar staff so bystanders can spot warning signs before they escalate. As well as this, the Safer Streets campaign is being rolled out across the whole of Merseyside following a successful first phase in Liverpool city centre.
Around £576,000 of Home Office funding has been allocated to Liverpool City Council and Merseyside Police to improve women's feelings of safety across the region. The funding comes off the back of a survey where more 50% of women felt unsafe using public transport at night. The funding will be used to enhance high visibility CCTV coverage along key bus routes, have an increased uniformed police presence and designated travel centres.
But perhaps, most importantly, educational training will be extended to reach more than 130 primary schools across the region to raise awareness of online safety, sexual harassment and misogyny. A new adult education programme looking to challenge misogynistic language and attitudes will also be introduced.
Merseyside's Police and Crime Commissioner Emily Spurrell said this multi-faceted approach will "not just challenge perpetrators and unacceptable behaviour, but look to change attitudes while taking practical steps to make women feel safer".
Jo told the ECHO RASA already runs their own training in schools. She said: "The training is really important and we've seen a good uptake. We can educate our young boys about respect and consent. These things start at a young age so let's start pointing them out.
"It's really important to get into the schools. And we also look to get into universities and educate students. It's no coincidence that in October and November each year we see a spike in sexual crimes and we need to stop that. We know the dangers are still out there but we can get people working together to spot the warning signs as well as educating them."
London's Metropolitan Police has recently come under severe scrutiny after serving officers Wayne Couzens and David Carrick were exposed for heinous sexual crimes against women. Deputy Chief Constable Critchley recognised there could be an issue with public trust in the police after the nature of their crimes were exposed in the courts.
He said: "Although we believe that most people still have confidence in the police, we are determined to rebuild trust. We are working hard to ensure all victims are treated with care and empathy, and the actions of all our staff are to the highest standards at all times. When they are not I can assure the public we will take the necessary action."
Jo recognised that trust in policing in the Met Police's area would rightly take time to rebuild. But she added: "We cannot blame the entire police for one or two officers' actions." She said: "We've worked for a long time with Merseyside Police and have a close relationship.
"And yes, sometimes we've had massive fall outs with them over the years, but now our counsellors have police officers they can call up and speak with. We've got that close relationship and I think we're actually ahead of the game."
RASA's most important work comes with survivors of sexual crimes. The service has more than 30 full-time staff who work with those who come through their doors in every step of their recovery process. This is particularly important due to the difficulties of achieving a successful prosecution if the case goes to court.
Jo told the ECHO: "What we can do as a service is work with individuals to limit their expectations - to work with them to explain that just because you come to us and talk to the police that it might not go to prosecution. But that individual will stay with the organisation every step of the way so we get them back on their feet.
"It's an incredibly difficult crime to prosecute, so we might not be able to achieve justice, but we can achieve social justice. We can change that individual's life by listening to them and validating their experience. That's what many people need.
"I think attitudes to sexual violence locally, nationally and globally are changing. It's by no means perfect and there's a long way to go, but things are moving in the right direction."
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