EMBARGOED until
2230hrs, THURSDAY 17 JUNE 2021
, Labour’s Shadow Solicitor General,
responding to the publication of the Government’s end to end rape
review, said:
“After waiting over two years for this to be published by the
Government, the review and its recommendations do not go far
enough.
“Rape prosecutions are at a record low, only one in 60 rapes are
leading to a charge and this review was meant to understand the
failings of the criminal justice system, and set out the
Government’s plan to reverse the worrying deterioration of rape
charges, prosecutions and conviction levels. The Government have
failed to do that, and it has failed victims of rape on every
front by pushing the justice system to the brink of collapse
through a decade of cuts to police, courts and the CPS.
“This review was a real opportunity to improve the criminal
justice system for victims of rape, and it has missed that
opportunity. The Government should urgently introduce Labour's
root and branch reforms to support rape victims, instead of
piecemeal pilots and tinkering that will not do enough to fix the
Government’s failure to support rape victims.”
Ends
Notes to editors
- The Government has finally published the end to end rape
review which it announced in March 2019.
- It was commissioned following the reduction in the number of
police referrals, charges, prosecutions and convictions for
violence against women and girls offences, particularly rape and
serious sexual offences.
- This reduction came as the number of rape allegations being
reported to the police were increasing.
- The Review was set up to establish why this happened and
identify any issues within the criminal justice system that
contributed to the fall in volumes.
- Measures announced today include a pilot scheme aimed at
reducing cross-examination of victims in court by conducting
pre-recorded interviews, a nationwide recognition that only
evidence about the complainant that is pertinent to the case
should be used, and a new approach to investigations which
ensures that there is an “early and robust assessment of suspect
behaviour and offending patterns”.
- In March 2021 Labour set out its survivors support plan,
which set out its recommendations to improve RASSO victims’
experience of the criminal justice system.
- Labour’s Survivors' Support Plan rape shadow rape review
recommendations include:
- Fast-tracking rape and serious sexual assault cases through
the police, Crown Prosecution Service and the courts
- Appointing a Minister for Survivors of Rape and Sexual
Violence to investigate and tackle the root causes of delays in
the system, and act as a champion for victims
- Establishing a pre and post-trial survivor’s support package,
including a full legal advocacy scheme for victims and better
training for professionals around myths and stereotypes
- In May 2021, Labour published its Green Paper as Tories fall
short on ending violence against women and girls
o Proposals included introducing a survivor support package to
improve victims’ experience in the courts, including fast
tracking rape and sexual violence cases, legal help for victims
and better training for professionals to give people the help
they need https://labour.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Ending-Violence-Against-Women-and-Girls-Green-Paper.pdf
o Rape prosecutions in England and Wales are at their lowest on
record, 44% of rape victims are pulling out of their trial before
it gets to court and now only 1.6% of rape cases are even being
charged according to the latest figures from the Home Office.
o Fewer than one in sixty rape cases last year led to a suspect
being charged, according to an analysis of Home Office figures.
o Out of 52,210 cases recorded by the police in England and Wales
only 843 resulted in a charge or a summons. A rate of 1.6%
o According to analysis by The Guardian more than
100,000 rapes have been reported to the police since a government
review to overhaul the system was announced in March 2019 to
address the fall in successful prosecutions.
o Recent figures have also shown that the proportion of victims
withdrawing from prosecutions has doubled from 20 per cent to
more than 40 per cent in five years
