THE Covid-19 pandemic “only added to the dizzying number of challenges already faced by rape victims and support services,” the head of Rape Crisis England and Wales has said.

Victims and survivors are “experiencing trauma that is exacerbated by lockdown isolation, pandemic-related bereavement, job insecurity and daily pressures,” the charity said.

It said demand for its services across 39 centres had increased by 14 per cent in the last 12 months, rising to around 75,000 people.

And waiting lists also reached record highs of 10,000 wanting to speak with counsellors and therapists — double the number from four years ago.

Rape Crisis centres provided more than one million sessions of specialist support, including advocacy, emotional support and counselling in the last 12 months, an increase of 41 per cent on the previous year.

Nearly 10,000 people were on the Rape Crisis waiting list as of the end of March this year, the highest figure on record and more than double the 4,961 people in 2016-17, due to demand for support outstripping provision.

Rape Crisis chief executive Jayne Butler said: “Our Covid report demonstrates the resilience and tenacity of our Rape Crisis centres and workers, who have rapidly increased service provisions to meet user demand.

“It is clear from the report, that victims and survivors need access to specialist sexual violence and abuse services more than ever.”

The report said: “The pandemic has been yet another crisis overlaying several long-term crises already in existence: gender inequality and the subsequent endemic of sexual violence and abuse, chronic underfunding and the short-term commissioning of services, and an utterly collapsed criminal justice system.”

It said that a more sustainable funding model for its stretched services would help address some of the issues.