WOMEN and young girls who have been domestic abuse victims will have a better chance of recovery, thanks to a boost from the National Lottery.

A team of women supporting Oxfordshire survivors of sexual abuse, rape, domestic abuse and harassment are one of 60 projects receiving funding, and they have welcomed the £712,641 cash boost.

The five-year fund will enable the Oxfordshire Sexual Abuse and Rape Crisis Centre (OSARCC) to extend its specialist services to reach younger women and girls in line with the other Rape Crisis Centres across England and Wales.

Sarah Brown, from The Big Lottery Fund, said: "OSARCC has found through consultation with their service users under 18 that over 40 per cent were currently experiencing or have experienced abuse as a child.

"They will work with girls aged 14-18 and specialist organisations to provide therapeutic support, peer mentoring, online support platforms and outreach and consent workshops."

The work by the centre, which will include support for those who have experienced sexual violence as well as preventative work to stop it from happening, is planned to be part of a project called Support, Empower, Educate (SEE).

Spokeswoman Ellie Bennett said: "The SEE Project will expand OSARCC’s holistic support services – face to face, group-work and helpline including text and email support – to reach younger women and girls, as well as building on our recent pilot work in schools and youth settings which is focused on sexual violence, healthy relationships and consent.

“Strong partnership working will be key to the success of this work.

"OSARCC will build on our existing partnerships and we look forward to developing relationships with new partners as well.

"We are incredibly excited by the opportunity to develop the SEE Project, and immensely grateful to the Big Lottery both for their investment in our organisation and for their faith in our ability to become a centre of expertise for holistic support, empowerment and education regarding sexual violence."

The funding will allow OSARCC to have an online focus.

Rape Crisis co-chairwoman Dawn Thomas said the online focus was necessary in an age in which digital technology was a big part of every day life for young girls and women.

She said: "Digital technologies have become a significant and completely integrated part of our daily lives and many women and girls, of all ages and backgrounds, already routinely access information and services via the internet.

"Yet there is no national resource specifically designed to provide the range of information and support that women and girls, who have experienced sexual violence of any form, want and need online.

"This project responds to the unprecedented level of demand for specialist support services from sexual violence survivors."