Domestic violence illustration – 20 Minutes / Canva
In addition to this, you will need to know more about it.The British government apologized on Friday for “dropping” for years “thousands” of rape victims, saying it was “deeply ashamed” that the number of convictions of sexual assailants and rapists is at an all-time low and promising to correct the situation.
According to the latest figures from the prosecutor’s office, 1,439 suspects were convicted of rape or sexual assault last year in England and Wales, the lowest level on record since these data were recorded. This is also a decrease of 1,925 convictions from the previous year, even as complaints of rape against adults have almost doubled since 2015-2016.
Reduce cross-examinations of victims in court
“These are trends we are deeply ashamed of. Rape victims have been left behind “and” victims of victims have been left without justice, “Home Secretary Priti Patel and Justice Minister Robert Buckland said, concluding a report aimed at improving the situation. “The current situation is totally unacceptable and the government is determined to change: we owe it to every victim and are extremely sorry that the system has come to this,” he added.
The report proposes a series of measures aimed at reducing the number of indictments and cases brought before the courts to their 2016 levels by the legislative elections of 2024. Among the measures, a pilot project aimed at reducing cross-examinations victims in court [leur préférant des entretiens préenregistrés] and national recognition that evidence about the victim should be used for the investigation only if it is relevant.
Robert Buckland wants to move away from “the obsessive emphasis on victim credibility”, with the report claiming instead to focus on the suspect’s past, in order to “ensure that decision-making is evidence-based, rather only on subjective judgments concerning the credibility of the victim ”.
A “real crisis” in the handling of these crimes
Associations and activists have globally triggered the apology, but are concerned to see “if what has been announced today will be enough”, told a spokeswoman for Rape Grisis England and Wales, in the face of the “real crisis” of taking charge of these crimes. “Some elements of the report are encouraged, but it is difficult to identify major commitments that will radically and quickly improve the experience that victims have of the justice system,” added another spokesperson.
In the UK, authorities estimate that 128,000 people are victims of rape or attempted rape each year, but only 3% of reported cases resulted in a charge in 2019-2020. A figure that rose to 13% in 2015-2016.