Only 1.9% of reported rapes were prosecuted

[QuentinWinters]

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/rape-cases-uk-prosecutions-prison-time-fall-government-review-disclosure-a8809236.html

Why aren't we hearing more about this? It's shocking. And yet when rape is discussed it's all about false reporting by women. I really highly doubt 98.9% of women reporting rape are making it up

Its so depressing and one doesn't need to look any further to see how embedded misogyny is in society

There has been a drastic change over the last 40 years.

In 1980, one in three reported rapes ended in a conviction.
In 2007 one in 20 reported rapes ended in a conviction.
www.sericc.org.uk/pdfs/5533_rape-conviction-rates-in-england.pdf

In 2006 I included some rape conviction statistics in my dissertation, then it was 6% of reported rapes ending in conviction. And that is only reported rapes, so many go unreported.

Sometimes I get so afraid of the rape culture that no one talks about.And the many many women who have to go tell their story to the court, only to leave being dismissed as a liar.

It makes you understand why women are put off bothering to report it

I hadn't realised that the proportion of reported rapes that are prosecuted had fallen so dramatically.

I don't recommend anyone reports any more. It's so shitty and pointless.

I was humiliated by the investigating officer, and they didn't expect it to get to court so didn't even interview the perpetrator, or take my text message evidences of him incriminating himself. They don't want to prosecute it. It's awful.

The CPS is cash strapped. The courts are cash strapped. And proving rape is very difficult. Especially where the report is after the event or the rape occurs within a relationship/in a social setting where sex could reasonably occur. Confusion over what rape is and is not has also muddied the waters with women reporting events that they think are rape but which aren’t. Police services are also low on funding and investigating rapes sometimes takes the back bench while they prioritise more pressing matters like terrorism prevention or knife crime.

Within that context the CPS will only prosecute cases which are likely to result in conviction. If you want to see more prosecutions you should start a legal aid charity which does private prosecutions. The CPS will often take over a prosecution if the case had been prepared well.

What can you say? My experience is that of all the women (and a man) that I know that have been raped or seriously sexually assaulted, only one had police involvement and they failed to find the attacker. So to even get to a point where you report is unusual, never mind get to court.

After yew tree I feel like they want us all to stfu and go away. Policing and convicting sexual assault is hard work, much easier to say it’s not happening and when someone says it has, say it’s not really a crime anyway.

"With women reporting events that they think are rape but which aren’t."

Can you elaborate Gregory?

I do think a mature reasoned debate about sex, rape and alcohol is needed as there are clearly a lot of different viewpoints on this

Is this not symptomatic of law enforcement as a whole in this country? It seems like very few crimes are investigated at all and in the unlikely event that they are prosecuted the sentences are woefully inadequate.

Confusion over what rape is and is not has also muddied the waters with women reporting events that they think are rape but which aren’t. er, what? If a woman didn't consent, it was rape. The man could get off if he can prove he reasonably believed she consented but it doesn't mean she wasn't raped. It means he didn't know he was raping her.

The whole drunk consent is clearly a thorny issue.

Is this not symptomatic of law enforcement as a whole in this country? It seems like very few crimes are investigated at all and in the unlikely event that they are prosecuted the sentences are woefully inadequate

Its symptomatic of how widespread is the denial of the extent of male violence against women and children.

There is sexism.

Its International Women's Day, important not to do this and an opportunity to stand up for women and girls.

"Declaration on Women's Sex-Based Rights

On the re-affirmation of women’s sex-based rights, including women’s rights to physical and reproductive integrity, and the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women and girls that result from the replacement of the category of sex with that of ‘gender identity’, and from ‘surrogate’ motherhood and related practices (continues)

It has long been understood in the area of human rights that violence against women and girls is universally endemic, and is one of the crucial social mechanism by which women are forced into a subordinate position compared with men.

The United Nations Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women recognizes that,

“Violence against women is a manifestation of historically unequal power relations between men and women, which have led to domination over and discrimination against women by men and to the prevention of the full advancement of women, and that violence against women is one of the crucial social mechanisms by which women are forced into a subordinate position compared with men.’’

This domination and discrimination is based on sex and not on ‘gender identity’. (continues)
can be supported here:
www.womensdeclaration.com/sign-the-declaration

It's dreadful but unfortunately rape is hard to prove because of the circumstances that most happen in. I don't think there's an answer, which is depressing.

I dunno. You read about people all the time that are convicted for crimes against property - remember when kids were getting 5 years for nicking an ice cream in the riots we had a couple of years ago? If there’s a political will then there’s a way.

It’s not good for anyone for the justice sector to wring their hands and say it’s too complicated to properly investigate rape and actually prosecute rape. If it’s hard then we have to do the hard or make it easier - saying that it’s just not the case you’ve experienced an act of sexual violence because reasons is not good enough.

Because people are innocent until proven guilty.

If the evidence isn't there, they cannot be prosecuted. And with rape, most of the time the events are historic, as in the events have taken place hours, days or years prior to the report being made.

In those circumstances forensic evidence is extremly difficult to secure.

I find it very odd how some people seem to think that due process should be abandoned just because the alleged crime is rape.

I dunno. You read about people all the time that are convicted for crimes against property - remember when kids were getting 5 years for nicking an ice cream in the riots we had a couple of years ago? If there’s a political will then there’s a way.

I really don't think this is true. Police don't attend for burglaries very often. You are more likely to just be issued with a crime reference number for insurance purposes.

We were luckier than most when we were burgled - a police officer came out and took details. SOCO attended and took one look and declared there was no point looking for any evidence and left.

Our local facebook page has several burglaries reported every day that police don't attend for, we also have huge problems with gangs on mopeds mugging people that simply appear to be recorded and no further action taken.

Clearly we need much better funding for the police, and an insistence that crimes are investigated properly. If they don't look for evidence they won't find it will they? It seems that they are too quick to judge that a conviction is unlikely before they have investigated fully.

There are specific issues with how rape and sexual abuse are treated by police, CPS etc.

These are above and beyond issues which impact how crimes are responded to.

Well exactly - if you don’t even attempt to look for any evidence then you won’t find any. Then you can say it’s Xs word against Y and innocent until proven guilty and what can you do? Also why not rely on the women lie about sex to ruin men’s lives trope or the women get confused about consent after a glass of wine one and you don’t even have to spend a second considering that perhaps, maybe, 98% of rape cases aren’t being brought on by vindicative bitches or idiots who lose all control after a drink.

Clearly we need much better funding for the police, and an insistence that crimes are investigated properly. If they don't look for evidence they won't find it will they?

I'm not sure that better funding would help in rape cases though. As most rapes are committed by someone known to the victim, it's really easy to lie and say it was consensual. In most cases it is one persons word against the other because most likely it occurs in private, unlike other crimes. There's just no way to prove it when it happens in this way although I have no doubt that the police probably know a crime has occurred. The Police are human and it must affect them to not be able to get rapists put in prison.