There are not many subjects that people want to talk about less than rape. It’s never a nice subject and also evokes controversy. But, in my opinion, what is really controversial is how easy it is to get away with. In fact In 1977, according to one report, 30% of rape cases ended in conviction in the UK. Today it is 6%. The plan to grant anonymity to rape suspects was a surprise inclusion in the government’s coalition agreement in May. It seems to have been dropped by the Ministry of Justice, but the fact that such a law was thought up says little about our government’s respect for women who have to endure such an ordeal. The ministry said it had not ruled out anonymity between arrest and charge, something that is more understandable.
It was not in the Conservative or Liberal Democrat election manifestos, although it had been Lib Dem policy since 2006.
The coalition agreement pledged to “extend anonymity in rape cases to defendants”, with ministers stressing the need to “protect anyone who may be wrongly accused from harmful stigma”.
Prime Minister David Cameron appeared to bow to pressure from campaigners when he said he favoured a “limited extension” to the law to cover the period between arrest and charge.
Campaign group Women Against Rape said they were “glad the government has been forced to back down”.
A spokeswoman said: “Why should men accused of rape have special protection not offered to those facing charges of murder, terrorism or child abuse?
“People are no more likely to be falsely accused of rape than of other crimes. Why this attempt to further discredit and discriminate against rape survivors?”
Conservative MP Louise Bagshawe told The Observer that by “singling out rape in this way, ministers are sending a negative signal about women and those who accuse men of rape”.
The Truth is that 1 in 4 women have experienced rape or attempted rape, 95% of cases are never reported, 23% of reported cases are ‘no crime,’ or thrown out, by the police. Over 66% of reported cases never make it to court and the conviction rate is a depressing 6.5% for reported cases. It seems rape is the easiest crime to get away with. Then there is the fact that marital rape in the United Kingdom was only made illegal in 1994. By Michael Howard.
In a recent article in the London’s Evening Standard Met officers repeatedly breached official rules by writing off rape allegations as “no crime” incidents, a Scotland Yard confidential report revealed.
There was also delays in giving victims early specialist assistance, inadequate record-keeping and failure to arrange medical examinations.
The Met said the Sapphire units had now been reorganised and are run by the Yard’s Violent Crime Directorate.
In fact, it was announced in late 2010 that Scotland Yard boosting a specialist sex offences squad in response to a shock rise in rapes reported in London. Rape was up 37 percent in just 12 months.
Police believe much of the increase is due to women becoming more confident in reporting attacks because of a change in tactics in dealing with rapes, rather than a rise in offences.
There has also been a significant increase in “relationship rapes” involving couples. Which are hard to prove. All of this may have something good coming out of it.
There is a newly launched £21.5 million Sapphire unit, with a central command and new intelligence cell, that tackles sex offences across London.
A spokesman said: “The new Sapphire unit is completely victim-based. First of all when victims come forward we believe them and take their allegations seriously. That is our mantra. Secondly we will turn over every stone to get to the bottom of what happened. We have anecdotal evidence from rape crisis centres and havens to say word is getting round that [victims] will be treated with respect and dignity.”
Let’s all wish them good luck and hope for the best.
U.S. STATISTICS From Feminist.com
Fact: 17.6 % of women in the United States have survived a completed or attempted rape. Of these, 21.6% were younger than age 12 when they were first raped, and 32.4% were between the ages of 12 and 17. (Full Report of the Prevalence, Incidence, and Consequences of Violence Against Women, Findings from the National Violence Against Women Survey, November, 2000)
Fact: The FBI estimates that only 37% of all rapes are reported to the police. U.S. Justice Department statistics are even lower, with only 26% of all rapes or attempted rapes being reported to law enforcement officials.
Fact: The National College Women Sexual Victimization Study estimated that between 1 in 4 and 1 in 5 college women experience completed or attempted rape during their college years (Fisher 2000).
Fact: Every two minutes, somewhere in America, someone is sexually assaulted. (Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN) calculation based on 2000 National Crime Victimization Survey. Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice)
Fact: One out of every six American women have been the victims of an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime. (Prevalence, Incidence and Consequences of Violence Against Women Survey, National Institute of Justice and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1998)
Fact: Factoring in unreported rapes, about 5% – one out of twenty – of rapists will ever spend a day in jail. 19 out of 20 will walk free. (Probability statistics based on US Department of Justice Statistics)
Fact: Fewer than half (48%) of all rapes and sexual assaults are reported to the police (DOJ 2001).
Fact: Sexual violence is associated with a host of short- and long-term problems, including physical injury and illness, psychological symptoms, economic costs, and death (National Research Council 1996).
Fact: Rape victims often experience anxiety, guilt, nervousness, phobias, substance abuse, sleep disturbances, depression, alienation, sexual dysfunction, and aggression. They often distrust others and replay the assault in their minds, and they are at increased risk of future victimization (DeLahunta 1997).
Fact: Sexual violence victims exhibit a variety of psychological symptoms that are similar to those of victims of other types of trauma, such as war and natural disaster (National Research Council 1996). A number of long-lasting symptoms and illnesses have been associated with sexual victimization including chronic pelvic pain; premenstrual syndrome; gastrointestinal disorders; and a variety of chronic pain disorders, including headache, back pain, and facial pain (Koss 1992).Between 4% and 30% of rape victims contract sexually transmitted diseases as a result of the victimization (Resnick 1997).
