According to figures uncovered today the proportion of cases of rape that end up being referred for prosecution is now at its lowest level ever. Depressing, much? Yes, but it gets worse. Only 28% of reports police received in the year ending March 2014 were referred to the Crown Prosecution Service. And to put that into context, more than 50% of cases were referred five years ago – so, we’re not even talking about a lack of progress, we’re talking about going backwards.
‘Everyone with an interest in the protection of women is encouraging rape victims to come forward and it seems that they are starting to,’ shadow attorney general Emily Thornberry, whose office uncovered the stats, told The Independent. ‘It is therefore profoundly disappointing that we have not seen a surge in the number of decisions to prosecute. The low rates of criminal charges, prosecutions and convictions is not just a denial of justice, but actively puts women at risk.’
READ MORE: Government Warns Women That They’ll Get Raped When They’re Drunk
In light of the depressing picture of the way that police treat victims of sexual violence, it’s not a shock at all that charities such as Rape Crisis England told the newspaper that it was time for a ‘real and marked improvement’ in criminal justice for rape victims.
It’s ironic that these figures have been unveiled at a time when so much British media attention is being directed towards criticising other country’s rape legislation. We congratulate the India Prime Minister for having progressive things to say about rape because we believe that our own legal system is more evolved when it comes to protecting women, but these figures are a bleak reminder of just how far we still have to go when it comes to dealing with victims of sexual violence within our own shores.
Crime prevention minister Norman Baker told The Independent:
‘We are improving the criminal justice system’s response to rape because we need to encourage more victims to come forward and to bring more perpetrators of these terrible crimes to justice.
‘I am concerned by the fall in the proportion of reported rapes that are referred to the Crown Prosecution Service. This is why we are working with the director of Public Prosecutions and national policing leads through the new Rape Action Plan, to make sure we are striking the right balance between investigations that rightly focus on the offender while still ensuring an effective response to victims.’
What’s clear from these abysmal statistics is any changes the crime prevention minister is planning to make really couldn’t come soon enough.
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Picture: Lukasz Wierzbowski
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.