Use of SARC services by victims of sexual violence: Auditing the ethnicity of Saint Mary's Sexual Assault Referral Centre's clients

Introduction: Saint Mary's Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) in Manchester provides services to adults and children who have suffered sexual assault. The ethnic composition of those who attended the centre was audited in 2001 and 2003 to measure how well it serves different ethnic groups. This paper provides an updated audit using 2019 data.

Methodology: Census data for Greater Manchester, and data from the Crime Survey of England and Wales (CSEW) showing rates of sexual assault for different ethnic groups, were used to predict the ethnic composition of sexual assault victims in Greater Manchester. These predicted figures were then compared with the ethnic composition of Saint Mary's SARC 2019 client base to measure how well the SARC is serving different groups. This comparison was repeated using data from the 2001 SARC client base to explore change over time.

Results: The analysis shows that South Asians and Chinese individuals are underrepresented in the SARC client base, and that this issue has become more pronounced over time. Every other group is overrepresented.

Conclusion: The underrepresentation of South Asian and Chinese clients at Saint Mary's SARC is concerning. Making the service more accessible to those from these ethnic groups should be a priority for the centre.