New figures show that shockingly 80 percent of women who have been raped, or sexually assaulted by someone else do not report the incident to police.
The shocking statistic is often attributed to a decline in conviction rates, and lack of faith in the judiciary.
Research commissioned by Channel 4’s Dispatches found 36 per cent of women surveyed had experienced some form of sexual assault or rape, with almost one third (31 per cent) saying they have been a victim three or more times.
Dispatches was told by one victim that she had been sexually assaulted while in a pub toilet during a night out. Her case was not considered by the CPS as it didn’t meet the threshold to warrant a charge decision. The file photo above is taken from the same source.
The shockingly high incidence of sexual violence means that 80 percent did not report it to the police. Just 31 per cent said they felt confident the English and Welsh judicial systems would provide justice for victims.
49 percent of the women who have been victims of sexual assault reported that they are less than half of those.
It is the result of Wayne Couzens (a Met Police officer) raping and killing Sarah Everard (33)
Conservative MP Caroline Nokes, chairman of the Commons women and equalities committee, branded the findings ‘disastrous’.
She told a debate on Channel 4 that will be aired after tonight’s programme: ‘This Government does have a problem with women. It’s incumbent on people like me to do the work and stand up to the Government and say, “We’re not doing enough.”
‘We need cultural change from the outset,’ she added.
‘We need to look at schools, colleges and universities, and at young people’s understanding of consent. Women aren’t getting justice.’
Asked whether the Conservative Government has cut too far in terms of police and CPS services, she said: ‘I think what we’ve seen for women has been absolutely disastrous – of course I regret that.’
Only 3 per cent of rapes reported in 2019/20 led to a suspect being charged – compared to 13 per cent in 2015/16.
Home Secretary Priti Patel has vowed to reverse the trend, admitting the Government is ‘deeply ashamed’ by the state of rape justice.
Dispatches was told by one victim that she had been sexually assaulted while in a pub on a night out.
Her case was not accepted by the CPS as it didn’t meet the threshold of evidence for a charge decision.
The victim, identified only as Debbie, said: ‘I have had quite a few panic attacks. They [the police]Wanted my phone.
‘I knew that they were doing it to get more information, but I also felt like I was a little bit on trial, thinking, “Are they looking at my life?” and “What are they looking potentially for?” That felt very intrusive. It was really, really intrusive.
‘I actually said, “Do you know what, I wish I hadn’t reported it,” because it affects your life so much.’
Temporary Chief Constable Sarah Crew, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) lead for rape and adult sexual offences, said the justice system was not ‘convicting enough offenders’ and that ‘too few victims are getting justice’. She added: ‘We know we have work to do to gain back the trust of victims.
‘With the increased number of those reporting rape and sexual assault to the police, we understand that now, more than ever, is our time to work across the criminal justice system to get the best outcomes for victims.’
Ex-chief prosecutor Nazir Afzal said: ‘We’re in a perfect storm. We are experiencing a shortage of police officers, prosecutors and courts, as well as a large backlog. People aren’t getting anywhere near the service they deserve and there’s no excuse for it.
‘The CPS goes for low-hanging fruit – stranger rapes, things that are easy to prosecute – so they’ll pursue those.
‘More difficult cases – quite often cases involving relationships – are more challenging, so that’s maybe one of the reasons why they don’t want to prosecute those.’
BMG carried out the research on Channel 4 with 2,293 participants. Of those, 1,513 were women.
n Rape – Who’s on Trial? Dispatches is on Channel 4 at 9pm tonight, followed by The Rape Debate: Who’s on Trial? 10:30pm