The Devon Rape Crisis and Sexual Abuse service have announced that they will be closing their helpline, email and therapy service the day before Devon and Cornwall Police urged survivors to always report sexual abuse.

The helpline, which has been running for 14 years, announced today (Wednesday, February 12) that they will be closed from February 28, 2025 due to a drastic cut in proposed funding for next year.

Since the service has been running, 204 women have volunteered and taken over 7,000 calls which has amounted to 12,000 hours of work.

The announcement of this closure comes a week after Sexual Abuse and Sexual Violence Awareness Week.

In a statement on the charity’s website, Dr Davina Cull, CEO, wrote: “We understand how difficult it is for survivors of rape and sexual violence to get the help and support they need after sexual harm. We also recognise that any closure of support options reduces choice and can feel devastating.

“As a charity we do not charge for our support and rely purely on funding from central government, local and national charitable trusts and donations. All charities are experiencing significant cost increases right now due to national insurance rises, increased business costs and reduced availability of funding.”

The charity will still be open for new referrals and for specialist support which includes trauma stabilisation, group work, advocacy, self-help and solidarity through community and peer support.

But due to the drop in funding, the therapy waiting list for new additions will also close on February 28.

Dr Davina Cull continued: “We thank you for the compassion, love and support we have already received from our community and will continue to do all we can to keep being able to offer vital and well-needed support for you all.”

The day before the closure was announced, Devon and Cornwall Police released a statement encouraging survivors to always report their abuse despite the sexual assault charity having a 12 month waiting list with 350 people waiting to be seen.

Force lead for rape and serious sexual offences Detective Superintendent Nicky Seager said: “We really want to encourage people to report any concerns they have about any recent or previous incident”

“We understand that not all incidents are reported for a variety of reasons, and that some happened many years ago. We encourage anyone to report, if not to police then to one of our partner agencies for practical steps to help them cope and recover.

“It’s not ok for people to suffer in silence when it comes to sexual abuse or sexual violence.”

When discussing why survivors may struggle to come report their assault, Rape Crisis England and Wales says on its website that: “Many say it's because they're too embarrassed, that they think it would be humiliating or that the police couldn't help. There's a serious lack of funding in place to give victims and survivors the specialist support they need and deserve.”

Devon Rape Crisis and Sexual Abuse Services are now promoting the use of the national helpline which can be accessed by calling 0808 500 2222. For children and young people, contact Childline on 0800 1111.