The Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster has split more than £100,000 between seven organisations that support victims and survivors of “hidden” and harmful crime.
The money will be allocated to organisations across the West Midlands that support victims and survivors dealing with hidden harmful practices, such as so-called honour-based abuse, female genital mutilation, modern slavery and human trafficking.
The PCC said the rights and welfare of victims was always his top priority.
He said he was delighted to be investing over a six-figure sum, spread across seven organisations that do vital work in the region.
The organisations awarded funding are:
- DORCAS – £15,500 for Female Genital Mutilation community support and therapeutic services.
- Sikh Women’s Aid – £19,900 for addressing harmful practices in the Sikh Punjabi community
- RSVP – £16,200 for The Red Project – supporting sex worker survivors of sexual violence, abuse and exploitation.
- West Midlands Anti-Slavery Network – £20,000 for essential in-community support for victims of modern slavery and human trafficking.
- Sundial Centre for Education on Harmful Practices – £6,500 for hidden harms web cafes.
- Sophie Hayed Foundation – £16,500 for long term freedom for survivors of exploitation in the Midlands.
- Social Orientation and Relief Association – £15,350 for empowering communities: awareness and prevention of FGM in the West Midlands.
Police and Crime Commissioner for the West Midlands, Simon Foster, said: “I am delighted to have invested almost £110,000 of funding into these seven organisations in the West Midlands, all of which do vital work to support victims and survivors.
“The rights and welfare of victims and survivors of crime, must always be a top priority.
“Here in the West Midlands, we do everything we can to support victims and survivors – and it is one of my top priorities in my new Police and Crime Plan.
“This funding will help support that, with a real focus on supporting victims and survivors of ‘hidden’ harmful practices.
“I am looking forward to seeing the positive impact the funding has, not only for victims and survivors, but also the positive impact it has on our wider community.”
Supporting victims is one of the PCCs top priorities and he appointed Natalie Queiroz MBE as his Victims’ Advocate earlier this year.
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