Money Talks And So Do We

Counting the Cost of Sexual Violence - and the Cost of Inaction

We all know sexual violence has devastating human costs - but it also has financial ones that stretch across lifetimes.
Health care. Lost work. Trauma. The justice system. The things you can’t see, and the ones you can’t stop paying for.

Developed by VISION and the Women’s Budget Group, this first-of-its-kind Costing Calculator estimates the lifetime cost of sexual violence across England and Wales. It draws together data from health, justice, social care, productivity loss, and specialist services - offering a sobering picture of what violence truly costs individuals, communities, and our country.

• For frontline services and campaigners, this tool is a game-changer.
  It provides hard evidence to support funding applications, policy work, and campaign messaging, helping to make a clear and credible case for investment in prevention and support.

• Because while survivors and advocates have long said it, now the numbers say it too: Failing to prevent violence costs more than preventing it ever will.

In a world where money talks, this tool gives survivors and services the data to speak louder - and to make sure the case for prevention, justice, and recovery can’t be ignored.

How the Calculator Works

The Sexual Violence Costing Calculator estimates the lifetime cost of sexual violence and abuse among children and adults, drawing on national datasets including the 2021 Census, the Crime Survey for England and Wales, NSPCC child abuse statistics, and Rape Crisis service data.

Users can explore two main tools:

• The National and Local Area Calculator, to measure the financial burden of sexual violence within a chosen area or across England and Wales.

• The Specialist Services Calculator, to estimate the cost of service users and demonstrate the value for money of specialist support.

Each result represents the lifetime cost for a single year’s cohort of survivors - meaning that every year, a new set of individuals experiences sexual violence whose collective harm will carry lifetime consequences. Understanding this distinction is crucial, as it highlights just how vast the ongoing societal burden truly is.

While the calculator’s estimates are necessarily conservative (and do not yet account for housing or regional prevalence variations), it remains one of the most comprehensive tools available to quantify the enduring personal and public cost of sexual violence.

For local organisations, the results can be used to demonstrate impact and strengthen funding bids, proving that investment in specialist services is not only ethical but economically sound.
For local authorities, commissioners, and MPs, the data offers clear evidence that preventing violence reduces costs - and saves lives.

Because when we can show the numbers, we can show the truth: this is not only about compassion, it’s about accountability - and sustainability.