Diane welcomes new rape crisis centres but urges Boris to bring one to Hackney

Diane has welcomed London Mayor Boris Johnson’s announcement that he will honour his election pledge and fund three more rape crisis centres in London.

Diane is calling for one of the centres to be based in Hackney, in light of a spate of gang rapes in the borough , which has one of the highest numbers of reported cases in London.

The first new centre will open in Ealing next month followed later in the year by new services in the north and east.

Hackney will work with other boroughs including Barking & Dagenham, Newham, Havering, and Waltham Forest in a partnership lead by Redbridge to establish a centre in the east of London.

There is currently only one rape crisis centre based in Croydon, which will also receive extra funding despite Boris having slashed the original £2.23m he promised to £1.4m over three years.

Diane said:

“I am pleased that Hackney will work with several boroughs to establish a good service for women of east London. However, with incidences of gang rape in my constituency rising to appalling levels, I feel there is an urgent need for a centre to be based here in Hackney where gang rape is a real issue. Many gang rapes are carried out by criminal gangs which means victims are often reluctant to go to the police. Rape crisis centres provide the help and support victims need without having to go to the police, and this provision is badly needed in my borough.”

 

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