Staff at 'thousands of charities' threatened and intimidated for 'doing their jobs'

Staff at thousands of charities across England and Wales are believed to have been threatened and intimidated in person, according to troubling new research.

The Charity Commission carried out a survey of 2,947 anonymous charity trustees and heard reports of death threats and property vandalism.

Organisations working to promote human rights, religious and racial harmony or equality and diversity were the most negatively affected.

Of the charities surveyed, 2% said their staff had been threatened in person - which the commission says could equate to around 3,000 of the 171,500 registered charities in England and Wales.

More than a quarter said they had been affected by the "challenging social environment".

In December, the regulator's interim chairman, Mark Simms, said that charity staff and volunteers were contending with "growing hostility".

He said staff had been verbally and physically abused, received death and sexual assault threats, and witnessed vandalism to charity offices - discussing the specific challenges faced by those working with refugees and migrants.

Reflecting on the latest research, the commission's assistant director of policy, Rachel Wenstone, said staff are "being threatened, intimidated and left afraid simply for doing their jobs".

She went on: "These findings show those experiences are not isolated: a significant minority of charities are now operating in an environment marked by hostility and threat.

"Ultimately, this impacts on the people charities are there to help, with some charities changing or curtailing their services as a result.

"Charities are not above criticism or scrutiny. The public is entitled to question, challenge and choose which causes to support.

"But disagreement should never cross the line into abuse, intimidation or threats of violence, and registered charities should be enabled to pursue their legitimate, legal purposes."

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The study, carried out in February, showed that 11% of charities had reported a drop in support, while 4% reported vandalism or damage to their property.

Separate research carried out by the commission showed that charities remain the second-most trusted group in society, behind only doctors.

In the survey of more than 4,000 people, 40% of respondents said affordability was the reason they did not contribute to charities - compared to 9% who cited mistrust.

(c) Sky News 2026: Staff at 'thousands of charities' threatened and intimidated for 'doing their jobs'