Press Release: The First National Voice for Victims of Anti-Social Behaviour
It’s High Time Victims of Anti-social Behaviour received help to know their rights and get results.
ASB Help has launched what it believes to be the first national charity focused on providing information and advice to victims of anti-social behaviour. Motivated by the tragedy of Fiona Pilkington who in 2007 took her own life and that of her daughter’s after police ignored her 33 pleas for help, ASB Help seeks to provide an impartial voice for vulnerable victims across the country and make sure the new legislation works in their favour.
Baroness Newlove, herself a victim of anti-social behaviour which resulted in the tragic death of her husband, has expressed her delight at the launch of this service acknowledging that “no one should have to suffer its [ASB] consequences in silence but unfortunately there are still so many people doing just that”.
ASB Help reports that although in its early stages it is already receiving evidence of such suffering – over a third of respondents to the charity’s online survey state they have reported the issue more than three times and 76% of respondents state their problem, although reported, has not yet been resolved. In fact, only 6% report a satisfactory resolution to the issue.
“It’s particularly concerning” commented CEO Jenny Herrera, “to see a survey respondent state they believe there is a hate incident against them and yet they either didn’t know they should have gone to the police, or they have and the harassment continues”. ASB Help hopes to guide victims of anti-social behaviour so that they can report it to the right agency in the right way and as the charity grows, provide much needed personal support to those who feel no one’s listening or are suffering in silence.