A report released by the Women’s Resource Centre states that 95 per cent of women’s voluntary organisations face funding cuts over the next year, with 25 per cent of these saying that this would lead to a ‘funding crisis’ and closure.

Published last month, Factsheet: Women and the Cuts 2012 compiles evidence from a number of sources to reveal statistical data on how government cuts have affected women, including their representation in the voluntary sector. It is an update of the 2011 edition.

The report quotes Lancaster University research which found that 31 per cent of the funding to the domestic violence and sexual abuse sector from local authorities was cut between 2010/11 and 2011/12 – a reduction from £7.8m to £5.4m.

BBC News revealed that Essex County Council, for one, cut funding by 24 per cent for five charities that focus on domestic abuse.

And a survey of domestic and sexual violence services by Women’s Aid published in March 2011 found that 60 per cent of refuge services and 72 per cent of outreach services had no funding agreed from 1 April 2011.

Further findings include how just under 9 per cent of women who were seeking refuge were turned away by Women’s Aid on a typical day in 2011 due to lack of space (Lancaster University), and that 78 per cent of perpetrator-focused violence against women services have reduced the number of clients they were able to assist (according to a Fawcett Society report).

From a poll of women’s organisations taken by Women’s Resource Centre itself, 51.4 per cent are responding to the cuts by fundraising and 35.1 per cent are lobbying local/national government.

The report states: “It is unknown what the exact impact of the cuts has been on the occurrence of violence against women and girls, but we anticipate that reducing the amount of support and prevention services available due to lack of funding will lead to an increase in violence and demand for support.”

Factsheet: Women and the Cuts 2012 can be found in full on the Women’s Resource Centre website.