A New Review Shows Sexual Assault Victims Have Been Failed By The Justice System
trigger warning: sexual assault and rape
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At one time or another in her lifetime, a woman will unfortunately experience some form of sexual assault. Considering the number of women who have faced such trauma, socially, there has never been much in the way of accountability for predators, and subsequently, justice for victims and survivors. This has been long criticised, but it’s only just now that the government is acknowledging it.
A new government review was released last week which reported a dramatic fall in the number of rape and sexual assault convictions in England and Wales in recent years, citing a clear failure on the part of the UK justice system. The review covered cases involving adult victims, with its intention to highlight the decline in rape prosecutions. According to figures, these prosecutions had fallen by 59%, with overall convictions dropping by 47% since 2015-2016. During this time, however, rapes had nearly doubled, with case numbers spiking from 24,093 to 43,187 according to the Office for National Statistics.
The government also acknowledged that it’s estimated that less than 20% of rape cases are actually reported to police, raising the number of victims to around 128,000 in the space of a year. Horrifically, out of reported cases, the Home Office says that only 1.6% resulted in someone being formally charged. The review described the reasons for the reduced number of cases being seen in court as “complex and wide-ranging.” Included were “delays in investigative processes, strained relationships between different parts of the criminal justice system, [and] a lack of specialist resources and inconsistent support to victims.”
The review prompted an apology from government ministers, with Justice Secretary Robert Buckland telling the BBC that the finding revealed “systemic failings” to respond to victims’ complaints “at all stages of the criminal justice process.”
He added: “The first thing I think I need to say is sorry, it’s not good enough. We’ve got to do a lot better.”
Victims have been calling for more government action for years, with many criticising it taking so long for the review to be commissioned. The heartbreaking statistics shown in the review shows that there is immediate work required at every level, including the ways in which police and prosecutors deal with victims.
Whilst there doesn’t appear to be anything more than an apology to make up for the justice system’s shortcomings in handling cases appropriately and through to prosecution and/or conviction, the government said in the review that they would be pushing for a “cultural change”. The review added that future sexual assault and rape investigations would turn their focus to that of the accused attackers – such as their behaviour patterns, record, and so on – and make a more concerted effort to prevent undermining a victim’s credibility.
With victims continuing to suffer at the hands of sexual assault with little to no justice, destroying rape culture requires more than the government’s embarrassment at the numbers; it requires an active and dedicated effort to make such offences properly punishable, the eradication of victim blaming, and lots more reliable support for those who need it.
You can read the full report on gov.uk. If you’ve been affected by the topic(s) in this article and are looking for some support, head over to our Resources.
Image credit: Ehimetalor Akhere Unuabona
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