THE Victim Support Unit (VSU) says it has been forced to change its focus on how it deals with its clients as criminal activities continue to grow in numbers and severity.

"The VSU has been noticing a trend in the severity of the crimes in the country for the past few years and as a result we have been putting in place programmes to reach out to victims even more," VSU co-ordinator Osbourne Bailey told the Observer Thursday.

The unit supports more than 10,000 victims annually, half of whom are generally new.

"The organisation has been training and preparing staff members to deal with the various levels of crime; however, the increase in the number of murders and molestation carried out on many young females has resulted in the organisation this year launching a new programme called the Overcomers Group," Bailey explained.

"In this programme, victims of rape and abuse are not only identified but they are counselled and given a new look on life."

Police statistics show that more than 1,000 Jamaicans have been murdered since the start of the year.

Last Thursday, Bailey said that as part of the outreach programme, VSU representatives have also taken its services into schools and churches.

"Based on our observations, we have been categorising the victims we have had to cater to and we have also been going into organisations such as the church and the schools to reach out to many of those who have been left in need," Osbourne told the Observer.

The VSU was established in 1998 and has a branch in every parish across the island.

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