A support service funded by Police and Crime Commissioner Joy Allen is helping to rebuild the lives of vulnerable women who have been sexually exploited.
Changing Lives in Darlington was commissioned by the County Durham and Darlington PCC to provide professional help to enable women to overcome the physical and psychological impact of their experiences including victims of trafficking and modern slavery.
The charity has been working directly with victims, helping them to cope and process a wide range of challenges from the effects of trauma, poor mental health and substance dependence to difficult life circumstances including extreme poverty and homelessness.
The PCC campaigns nationally to improve support for women who have been impacted by crime or are facing complex challenges that could drawn them into the criminal justice system. She has funded several projects locally to reach women who too often fall through the gaps, providing appropriate support at the right time before problems escalate.
The PCC has pledged to tackle Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), Modern Slavery and Exploitation in her Police, Crime and Justice Plan.
Her many commitments include:
The project has been running since April 2024, with the PCC providing funding for two full-time Changing Lives caseworkers who work as part of a specialist team across the force area identifying and supporting victims of sexual violence and/or exploitation and trafficking. The service also supports individuals who regularly exchange sex for food, shelter or drugs (known as survival sex).
Police and Crime Commissioner Joy Allen said: “The confidential emotional support, emergency care and advocacy services like these help women to heal and reclaim their lives.
“Exploitation can and does happen anywhere. It affects people of all ages, genders and ethnicities and numbers are increasing.
“For women specifically, these experiences can bring untold emotional and psychological harm that can last a lifetime, leading some to spiral without professional help. Evidence shows that gender-sensitive approach designed to meet women’s individual and unique needs can improve outcomes and reduce repeat victimisation.
“It is impossible to know the true scale of modern slavery and other forms of sexual exploitation, with so many of these crimes remaining hidden in our communities. We must continue to do all we can as partners to prevent this harm, bring more perpetrators to justice and help those who have experienced these crimes to heal and rebuild their lives.”
Nationally, the number of women accessing Changing Lives’ services has grown over the last financial year. Victims have been targeted and groomed for different forms of modern slavery including criminal exploitation, sexual exploitation, forced labour and domestic servitude.
The charity has also seen an increase inmigrant victims who have been trafficked into the UK by organised crime groups and are victims of debt bondage.
The PCC has provided funding since 2022 for the independent chair of a local panel to coordinate the response to modern slavery and human trafficking and increase support for victims across Durham and Darlington.
The County Durham and Darlington Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking (MHST) Network brings multiple agencies together to share information, improve intelligence gathering and ensure the county is better equipped to respond to victims.
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