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Sexual Offences: Women

Answer

County Lines is the most violent model of drug supply and a harmful form of exploitation. Gangs exploit children and vulnerable adults to move and store drugs and money, often using coercion, intimidation, violence - including sexual violence - and weapons to ensure compliance.

The Home Office funded County Lines Programme was launched in 2019 to tackle this violent and exploitative drug distribution model. Through the Programme we are funding specialist support providers to support victims of county lines gangs, including girls, to help them escape from exploitation.

In addition, this Government will also work closely with the voluntary and community sector to help sexually exploited people to exit prostitution.

To help support people at risk of being sexually exploited, Changing Lives has received £1.36m from the Home Office over three years (2022-2025) for their Net-Reach project, which provides online outreach, early intervention and intensive support for women and girls at high-risk of exploitation and abuse.

We are also providing funding to Trevi Women, who provide trauma-informed support to women wishing to exit on-street prostitution and survivors of VAWG crimes, remove barriers that prevent prostituted women from accessing necessary support. They also provide long-term support to reduce the likelihood of clients being further exploited.

In addition, the Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract provides support to adult potential and confirmed victims of modern slavery in England and Wales, including a support worker to help them access wider services, such as medical treatment, legal aid, legal representatives, and legal advice.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

12715

Session

2024-26

Subjects

Debts Women Drugs Sexual offences

Link

View this Written question on www.parliament.uk