Construction of permanent SARC facility will make a 'massive difference'

£800K+ set aside for Sexual Assault Referral Centre

Sexual assault victims, and survivors, have had their trauma 'compounded' by being sent to the United Kingdom for forensic examination.

That's the admission of the Justice and Home Affairs Minister who says plans for the construction of a permanent Sexual Assault Referral Centre are progressing.

Designs for the standalone facility are in the process of being drawn up after Jane Poole-Wilson's department secured more than £800,000 of funding as part of this year's Budget.

She explained to Manx Radio how the money would be spent:

£314,000 has also been put aside to create 'wraparound' service provision which will include specialist support from sexual and domestic violence advisors.

When the permanent SARC facility is completed it will offer appropriate spaces for immediate assistance to children and adults, support and signposting and rooms for counselling and supported police witness interviews.

Until then the Island is reliant on an interim service which opened in December last year in adapted premises in Douglas.

It's overseen by an on-Island full-time forensic medical examiner who works alongside the police to deliver immediate crisis care and collect evidence to support potential criminal prosecutions.

One person who is pleased with Treasury's Budget commitment, and the progress to date, is MLC Tanya August-Hanson.

Early last year, and before the interim facility was created, she'd described the process of victims travelling off Island as 'wholly inadequate'.

Now, however, she says she's confident that things are moving in the right direction: