Really Useful Reports

The reports below can be really useful for campaigners and researchers:

The Stern Review

A report by Baroness Vivien Stern CBE of an independent review into how rape complaints are handled by public authorities in England and Wales

Baroness Vivien Stern CBE led an independent review into the way rape complaints are handled by public authorities in England and Wales. The review examines the whole process of a rape complaint from the moment a rape is first disclosed until the court has reached a verdict.

Baroness Stern, who was asked to undertake the review by the Government, has focussed on how to ensure the key agencies involved in rape complaints, such as the police, local authorities, the Crown Prosecution Service, the health service and third sector organisations work more effectively together to improve rape complainants' treatment.

To download the report and link to related information, visit:
www.equalities.gov.uk/stern_review.aspx

Updated 15th March 2010

Taskforce on the health aspects of violence against women and children

Responding to violence against women and children - the role of the NHS

An independent taskforce was set up to identify the role and response of the NHS in relation to violence against women and children and to make recommendations on what more could be done to meet their needs.

The Taskforce report makes recommendations around improving the early identification of victims; enhancing the quality of and access to services; raising awareness of violence against women and children; training and development; and partnership working.

To download the report and link to related documents, visit:
www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_113727

Updated 15th March 2010

Taskforce on the health aspects of violence against women and children

Report from the Child Sexual Abuse sub-group

Two million children in the UK experience sexual abuse and many never tell anyone. For those few who do, there is a significant lack of therapeutic support and treatment services. This report addresses the needs of those children and young people who have been sexually abused and subjected to sexual violence.

The findings and recommendations from this report have fed into the overarching report from the Taskforce on the health aspects of violence against women and children.

To download the report and link to related documents, visit:
www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_113734

Updated 15th March 2010

Taskforce on the health aspects of violence against women and children

Report from the Sexual Violence Against Women sub-group

The impact of sexual violence and/or sexual abuse against women is devastating. It affects not only victims in terms of physical and mental health, but also affects their families, communities, the wider society and economy. It is estimated that around 10,000 women are sexually assaulted, and 2,000 women are raped every week but due to under reporting, the true figures are likely to be much higher.

The findings and recommendations from this report have fed into the overarching report from the Taskforce on the health aspects of violence against women and children.

To download the report and link to related documents, visit:
www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_113736

Updated 15th March 2010

Taskforce on the health aspects of violence against women and children

Report from the Domestic Violence sub-group

This report examines the impact of domestic violence against women, girls and children in England and how it can damage them and their families, with long-lasting wider repercussions for society.

The findings and recommendations from this report have fed into the overarching report from the Taskforce on the health aspects of violence against women and children.

To download the report and link to related documents, visit:
www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_113728

Updated 15th March 2010

Taskforce on the health aspects of violence against women and children

Report from the Harmful Traditional Practices and Human Trafficking sub-group

The violence associated with harmful traditional practices and human trafficking can be devastating. The mental and physical impact of this violence can be severe and long-term and they also have a disproportionate impact on minority communities and women. Victims endure violence and abuse which in the most extreme cases leads to death.

The findings and recommendations from this report have fed into the overarching report from the Taskforce on the health aspects of violence against women and children.

To download the report and link to related documents, visit:
www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_113735

Updated 15th March 2010

Redefining justice: addressing the individual needs of victims and witnesses

Sara Payne, Victims' Champion

Victims' Champion Sara Payne has published an independent study of how frontline services meet the needs of victims and witnesses.

'Redefining Justice' reports on the findings of a nine-month study of services currently provided, based on meetings with around 1,000 people including victims, witnesses and staff in organisations that support them.

To download the report, visit:
www.justice.gov.uk/publications/redefining-justice.htm

Updated 22nd March 2010

Together We Can End Violence Against Women and Girls

A cross-government strategy setting out a coordinated approach to ending violence against women and girls

This strategy includes a range of actions for the police, councils, the NHS and government departments across three areas: prevention, provision and protection. It was informed by views gathered in a public consultation, which ran over three months between March and May 2009.

The prevention work addresses social attitudes and myths about violence, changing attitudes over the long-term and stopping violence happening in the first place. Part of this work will include an awareness raising campaign for teenagers aged 13-18.

The provision work focuses on ensuring women and girls have access to the right help and support for example counselling and access to specialist services, when violence does occur.

The protection work looks at how we can provide end-to-end support for all victims through the criminal and civil justice systems, from reporting the crime to going to court. It will also focus on bringing more offenders to justice by improving reporting and conviction rates, as well as working to rehabilitate offenders and manage the risk they may present to women and girls.

To download the report and link to related information, visit:
www.homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/vawg-strategy-2009

Updated 22nd March 2010

Violence Against Women and Girls - Ready Reckoner

The ready reckoner tool has been developed by the Home Office as a key action in the Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) strategy. Using findings from the British Crime Survey, it enables commissioners of services from a range of providers such as health, policing and housing, to estimate the need for local services for domestic violence, sexual violence and stalking in their area. It highlights the estimated cost to services of domestic and sexual violence. It also highlights areas that we do not have robust prevalence rates, for and encourages people to find out more.

The ready reckoner can be downloaded from the Home Office web site in the form of a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet that uses macros to run reports on data. Visit: Home Office Violence Against Women and Girls Ready Reckoner.

Updated 11th January 2010

A Resource for Developing Sexual Assault Referral Centres

Revised National Service Guide

Published jointly by the Department of Health, Home Office and the Association of Chief Police Officers this guide replaces the National Services Guidelines for Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs) and Getting Started.

It highlights the minimum elements essential for providing high-quality SARCs for victims of sexual violence and sexual abuse, including forensic medical examination.

To download the report, visit:
www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_107570

For more information visit the Department of Health - National Support Team for Response to Sexual Violence web section.
Updated 15th March 2010

Review into sexualisation of young people

An independent review into the sexualisation of young people has been published. The author, psychologist Dr Linda Papadopoulos, was commissioned by the Home Office to look at how sexualised images and messages may be affecting the development of children and young people and influencing cultural norms. She also examined the evidence of a link between sexualisation and violence.

Key recommendations include:

• launching an online 'one-stop-shop' to allow the public to voice their concerns regarding irresponsible marketing which sexualises children
• encouraging the government to support the Advertising Standards Agency to take steps to extend existing regulatory standards to include commercial websites
• requiring broadcasters to ensure music videos featuring sexual posing or sexually suggestive lyrics are only broadcast after the watershed
• ensuring games consoles are sold with parental controls already switched on. Purchasers can then choose to unlock the console if they wish to allow access to adult and online content

For more information visit www.homeoffice.gov.uk/about-us/news/sexualisation-young-people.html

Updated 9th March 2010

New campaign focuses on abuse in teenage relationships

The Home Office has launched an advertising campaign to challenge teenagers' attitudes to violence and abuse in relationships. The adverts are aimed at sending a strong message to 13- to 18-year-olds. The campaign includes television, radio and print adverts, as well as a website detailing sources of help. Posters and leaflets will be available for healthcare professionals, and educational packs for schools.

For more information visit www.homeoffice.gov.uk/about-us/news/teenage-relationship-abuse.html

The two advertisements on abuse in teenage relationships are available on the Home Office YouTube channel (external link), where you'll find more of the department's videos.

Updated 1st March 2010

Rape Conviction Rates by Police Authority Areas

Rape conviction rate figures for 2007 demonstrate a growing gap between police force areas - women who report rape are more than eleven times more likely to secure a conviction for rape in some areas than others:

• In Cleveland almost one in five reported rapes led to a conviction for rape
• In Dorset, less than one in sixty women who report rape secured a conviction for rape.

Worryingly, the rape conviction rates between 2006 and 2007 fell in 16 out of 42 police force areas.

Some police force areas have demonstrated that improvement is possible - Cleveland continued to improve since 2004: 7.75% (2004); 13.2% (2006); and 18.1% (2007).

However, in many forces performance remains poor - 12 police force areas, more than one in four, had a rape conviction rate of less than five percent in 2007.

• Maps of Rape Conviction Rates in England & Wales: 2005, 2006, 2007

For more information, visit: www.fawcettsociety.org.uk
Updated 10th June 2009

Criminal justice system 'institutionally sexist' finds new report

A report published by the Fawcett Society's Commission on Women and the Criminal Justice System places institutional sexism firmly on the agenda.

The report finds that there has been no consistent progress over five years in promoting women into senior positions and women victims and offenders continue to be marginalised in a justice system designed for men. Institutional sexism is apparent even in the day-to-day operation of criminal justice agencies. For example, in some police forces, women are issued with the same uniform as men, measured by collar size with no allowance for the female body shape.

Commenting on the report, Baroness Jean Corston, Chair of Fawcett's Commission on Women and the Criminal Justice System, said: "Evidence collected by the Commission has demonstrated that throughout the criminal justice system female offenders, female victims of crime and women workers continue to face discrimination in a system designed for men by men."

Key Statistics

• An estimated 3 million women across the UK experience rape and sexual assault, domestic violence, sexual harassment, forced marriage, trafficking, or other forms of violence each year.
• Only 15 percent of serious sexual offences against adults are reported to the police and of the rape offences that are reported only 6.5 percent result in conviction.
• One in four people still believe that a woman is partially responsible for being raped if she is drunk and one in three think she is partially responsible if she flirted heavily with the man beforehand.
• Over a quarter of local authorities across Britain have no specialised Violence Against Women (VAW) support services.

The report Engendering Justice - from policy to practice and the Engendering Justice: executive summary can be downloaded from the Fawcett Society web site:

• Fawcett Society - Engendering Justice report and executive summary
  www.fawcettsociety.org.uk/index.asp?PageID=934

Updated 24th May 2009

Equality and Human Rights Commission: equality scheme

The Equality and Human Rights Commission published their three-year Equality Scheme. In developing the three-year scheme they have built on the work of last year's one-year scheme and have been equally ambitious in what that set out to achieve.

You can find more information and download a copy of the scheme at:
www.equalityhumanrights.com/equalityscheme
Updated 2nd April 2009

Women's Resource Centre: "Not just bread, but roses, too"

Funding to the women's voluntary and community sector in England 2004-07

Women's Resource Centre - www.wrc.org.uk - launches its 3rd 'why women?' report. This report maps women's organisations across all of the English regions. WRC have looked at areas organisations work in, equalities strands focussed on and tracked income and expenditure data for 2004 to 2007. The report is divided into an England-wide overview and a comparison of the regions as well as appendices for each of the nine Government Office Regions in England.

Download their report at:
www.wrc.org.uk/resources/wrcs_research_and_reports.aspx
Updated 26th March 2009

Refugee Council launches two reports containing new evidence of rape and sexual violence among refugee women in the UK

The Refugee Council published the interim findings of its Vulnerable Women's Project, a project working with vulnerable women who have claimed asylum in the UK. The Refugee Council's Vulnerable Women's Project is a three year scheme funded by Comic Relief. The Project works with women who have been the victims of rape and sexual violence in their countries of origin and here in the UK.

Download their report at:
www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/policy/position/2009/vulnerable_women
Updated 27th February 2009

Map of Gaps (2) - Campaign to end the postcode lottery of violence against women support services

Women who experience violence are left without support in 1 in 4 local areas in Britain.

Each year in the UK 3 million women experience rape, domestic violence, stalking or other violence and many more are living with the legacy of abuse experienced in the past or as a child. Yet in many parts of Britain there is a shocking failure to ensure that women have access to vital support services such as Rape Crisis Centres, refuges and domestic violence outreach projects.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and the End Violence Against Women (EVAW) coalition have launched Map of Gaps, a groundbreaking campaign and website which includes interactive maps showing what level of support is available in your area. The maps show that a minority of areas have good levels of support, however for too many women services are patchy or even non-existent.

"There are very few sexual violence services in our area and some women travel 70 miles each way to get support from us. This is simply unacceptable." Maggie Parks, Women's Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre, Cornwall.

Download the full report: Map of Gaps 2 - The postcode lottery of Violence Against Women support services in Britain (PDF 1.5MB)
Please note: this report is a PDF file, requiring Adobe Acrobat Reader or Access Adobe.
Updated 11th February 2009

From End Violence Against Women (EVAW): "Realising Rights, Fulfilling Obligations"

3 million women across the UK will experience rape, domestic violence, trafficking or other violence this year. The government's response is fractured with separate policies on specific forms of violence, Rape Crisis Centres and other specialist services facing closure due to funding cuts and no plan to prevent violence in the first place.

YouGov polling for EVAW shows that 8 in 10 people support a cross-government strategy to end violence against women. EVAW has published a blueprint for action setting out what governments at all levels should be doing.

The blueprint, Realising Rights, Fulfilling Obligations is available at:
www.endviolenceagainstwomen.org.uk/data/files/realising_rights.pdf (PDF 443kB)
Updated 16th August 2008

Convention on Elimination of all Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) Reports

Members of SERICC were invited to the United Nations in New York to present issues facing the UK women's Non Governmental Organisations (NGO), and in particular the issues facing the women's sexual violence sector, to the Convention on Elimination of all Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).

CEDAW Reports

CEDAW Process Report (PDF 252kB)
U.K. Responses to the list of issues and questions (PDF 263kB)
Please note: these reports are PDF files, requiring Adobe Acrobat Reader or Access Adobe.

For more information on CEDAW visit www.iwraw-ap.org and www.un.org/womenwatch/daw
Updated 8th August 2008

CPS Strategy on Violence Against Women is published

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has now published its Violence Against Women Strategy and Action Plans. End Violence Against Women (EVAW) members provided input into this work to ensure it takes a gendered approach and addresses all forms of violence including rape, domestic violence, forced marriage, trafficking, sexual exploitation etc. There has been widespread support for the CPS in being the first government department to do this.
(information from End Violence Against Women April 2008)

CPS: Violence against Women Strategy and Action Plans (DOC 1.2MB) - external link
Updated 30th April 2008

Is Government action making the grade?

End Violence Against Women (EVAW) has published its annual assessment of what UK Government Departments are doing to tackle violence against women, Making the Grade? (PDF). The overall score is just 2 out of 10. An Assessment of Northern Ireland Departments (PDF) was also carried out for the first time and the overall score was just 1 out of 10.

EVAW commends the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for scoring top marks for the second year running. The CPS is leading the way across Whitehall in developing a Violence Against Women Strategy. However, it is disappointing that other departments are still failing to take this issue seriously meaning that policies on poverty, education and social exclusion do not make the connection to violence against women.

Professor Liz Kelly, Chair of EVAW said:

"We welcome the development of a cross-government approach to violence against women. However Making the Grade? shows major gaps in policy and we are calling on Minister for Women, Harriet Harman, to now deliver on her commitment to developing a strategy to end all forms of violence against women."

Listen to Liz Kelly, Harriet Harman and Dr Nicole Westmarland of Rape Crisis discuss the issues on Woman's Hour programme on BBC Radio 4.

• Making the Grade? - full report (PDF)
• Making the Grade? - summary (PDF)
• Making the Grade? - Departments' responses (PDF)

Making the Grade? 2007 Northern Ireland March 2008

EVAW has published the first ever independent assessment of Government initiatives on violence against women in Northern Ireland, Making the Grade? 2007 Northern Ireland. The Government's overall score was just 1 out of 10.

• Northern Ireland Departments - full report (PDF)
• Northern Ireland Departments - summary (PDF)

Updated 25th April 2008

Violence against women: Hard knock life

Justine Järvinen, Angela Kail & Iona Miller - New Philanthropy Capital (Independent research and advice to help donors direct their support for maximum impact).

You probably think you don't know a woman who has been affected by domestic or sexual violence. But since nearly one in every two women in the UK has experienced violence, chances are you do.

Hard knock life, NPC's report on violence against women, shows donors that there are proven ways to keep women safe and help women recover from abuse.

To download full Report (132 pages), visit: www.philanthropycapital.org/downloads/pdf/Hard%20knock%20life.pdf

To download Summary, visit: www.philanthropycapital.org/downloads/pdf/Hard%20knock%20life%20summary.pdf

Did you know?

• A woman is more likely to be sexually assaulted than she is to get breast cancer
• Two thirds of women in prostitution started before they were 16
• 3,000 forced marriages take place in the UK every year.

Private donors can make a huge difference in this sector by:

• preventing the problem happening, by working with vulnerable girls who might grow up to become victims, or by changing the attitudes of the general public towards the issue of violence against women.
• supporting charities that provide specialist services for victims and help to keep them safe, including counselling and support through the justice system.

Also see the article in: The Independent (23 April 2008)
Updated 23rd April 2008

Women's Organisations in the United Kingdom 2008

The Women's National Commission is the official, independent, advisory body giving the views of women to the Government. Visit their website for publications and information on consultations, conferences, etc.: www.thewnc.org.uk

NEW PUBLICATION NEW PUBLICATION: The WNC's 'Women's Organisations in the United Kingdom 2008' directory is now available. There are three versions, alphabetical, regional and by main interest.

The reports are available to download at www.thewnc.org.uk/publications/
Updated 27th February 2008

Why we need Rape Crisis Centres and Sexual Assault Referral Centres

The development of provision for victims-survivors of sexual assault has historically been piecemeal and locally specific. Rape Crisis Centres (RCCs) and, more recently, Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs), have been established in certain parts of the UK but there is a lack of uniformity.

1. There is currently confusion at the political and policy levels in understanding the role each type of service plays in supporting victims-survivors and in terms of which is most actively promoted. It would even appear that the government is an exponent of SARCs whilst the opposition supports RCCs
2. This briefing shows that both RCCs and SARCs are vital for survivors and delivery of policy targets: this is not a case of either/or but both/and.

Why we need Rape Crisis Centres and Sexual Assault Referral Centres (PDF 1.0MB)
Please note: this report is a PDF file, requiring Adobe Acrobat Reader or Access Adobe.
Updated 20th February 2008

Violent Crime Action Plan

The Violent Crime Action Plan has just been published on the Home Office site. One of the key objectives is to ensure that victims of violence have access to better care and support. The Home Office state that:

• We will ensure that suitable support services are available to victims of violence, and will rebalance the Criminal Justice System in favour of victims.
• We will support all partnerships to offer independent advisory services to victims of sexual and domestic violence and, where appropriate, other forms of violence where victims are particularly vulnerable.
• We will implement the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings to ensure minimum standards and rights for all identified victims of human trafficking.
• We will support local partnerships to expand the Specialist Court model beyond domestic violence, to cover other forms of violence where victims are particularly vulnerable.

The report is available to download at www.homeoffice.gov.uk/about-us/news/violent-crime-action-plan
Updated 20th February 2008

"Women Not for Sale"

New report titled Women Not For Sale, published in January 2008, is available on the Government Equalities Office (GEO) website (www.equalities.gov.uk).

Women Not For Sale sets out findings from research commissioned to establish the scale of advertising of women and services offered by women in personal classifieds in the English regional and local press. The research found that the advertising of women, either discreetly or overtly, for sex or sexual services in the regional press is commonplace. Typically, these advertisements are sandwiched between innocuous advertisements for other services and goods.

The report can be accessed at the following link: www.equalities.gov.uk/publications/Women_Not_For_Sale.pdf (PDF 284kB)
Please note: this report is a PDF file, requiring Adobe Acrobat Reader or Access Adobe.
Updated 8th February 2008

Investigating and detecting recorded offences of rape

This new report summarises the findings of a study of attrition in reported offences of rape of a female in England and Wales in 2003/04. It was designed to explore several aspects around the detection and conviction of rape cases: the reasons behind the decline in recorded detection rates for rape since 1997; why marked variations in detection rates exist in different forces; and what factors best predict whether a recorded offence gets to court and results in a conviction.

The study was conducted in eight forces in England and Wales. Forces were selected to reflect the range of reported detection rate performance: three forces were selected on the grounds of having high detection rates for rape; two forces were selected for generally low detection rates. Three forces were selected because they featured in a previous comparable study of rape attrition. The intention was to collect a random sample of 100 initially crimed rapes of females (all ages) recorded by the police in 2003/04 in each force area. For each case, the police and Crown Prosecution Service case file was retrieved and coded. In total, data on 676 cases were collected.

For more information, visit: www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs07/rdsolr1807.pdf (PDF 711kB)
Please note: this report is a PDF file, requiring Adobe Acrobat Reader or Access Adobe.
Updated 20th July 2007

From The Outset

This paper developed out of submissions made by End Violence Against Women (EVAW) to the Equalities Review in December 2006. It argues that a priority issue for the new Commission for Equality and Human Rights (CEHR) to consider when it is established in October 2007 should be how it addresses violence, safety and security across all the equality strands.

End Violence Against Women: From The Outset (PDF 151kB)
Please note: this flyer is a PDF file, requiring Adobe Acrobat Reader or Access Adobe.
Updated 6th July 2007

Home Office Sexual Violence Action Plan

Government work on sexual violence and abuse is brought together in the cross-government Sexual Violence and Abuse Action Plan (SVAAP), published on 2 April. This includes work underway and work planned for the future to address all aspects of sexual violence, from prevention through to victim care and the response of the criminal justice system.

The purpose of the Action Plan is to:

• Tell stakeholders and members of the public what the government seeks to achieve in relation to sexual violence and abuse
• Identify the actions that are being taken to deliver objectives
• Identify gaps in existing work which require further consideration
• Increase transparency and enable accountability on delivery of objectives
• Provide a platform for developing a more strategic and holistic approach to tackling sexual violence and abuse

You can access the plan on the web at:
www.crimereduction.gov.uk/sexualoffences/sexual03.htm
Updated 20th April 2007

Fawcett Society - Women and Justice Report

This report, published on Wednesday 25 July, examines the work that has been done in the last year to improve the criminal justice system for women, as offenders, victims and staff and concludes that:

1. Prison is overused, ineffective and often damaging for many women offenders, while existing community sentences often fail to meet the needs of women.

2. Services for female victims of crime are geographically patchy and vary in quality. Violence against women remains at crisis levels, and the Government has failed to produce a national strategy to address violence against women, a key recommendation of last year's Commission report.

3. The implementation of the gender equality duty must be prioritised across the criminal justice system to ensure that all criminal justice agencies are meeting their legal obligations.

Fawcett Society - Women and Justice Report (PDF 274kB)
Please note: this report is a PDF file, requiring Adobe Acrobat Reader or Access Adobe.

The report was launched at an event on 25 July 2007. The keynote speaker was Rt Hon David Hanson MP from the Ministry of Justice. You can download a copy of his speech from the Fawcett Society web site: www.fawcettsociety.org.uk
Updated 2nd August 2007

Home Office Report: investigating and detecting recorded offences of rape

This report summarises the findings of a study of attrition in reported offences of rape of a female in England and Wales in 2003/04. It was designed to explore several aspects around the detection and conviction of rape cases: the reasons behind the decline in recorded detection rates for rape since 1997; why marked variations in detection rates exist in different forces; and what factors best predict whether a recorded offence gets to court and results in a conviction.

You can access the report on the web at:
Home Office Report: investigating and detecting recorded offences of rape (PDF 695kB)
Please note: this report is a PDF file, requiring Adobe Acrobat Reader or Access Adobe.
Updated 7th September 2007

The Corston Report: a review of women with particular vulnerabilities in the criminal justice system

This report by Baroness Jean Corston is a review of women with particular vulnerabilities in the criminal justice system, outlining the need for a distinct radically different, visibly-led, strategic, proportionate, holistic, woman-centred, integrated approach.

You can access the report on the web at:
www.homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/corston-report/
Updated 20th April 2007

H.M. Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate - "Without Consent"

H.M. Crown Prosecution Inspectorate has published a thematic report called "Without Consent". This report is a joint review of the investigation and prosecution of rape offences. A copy of the report may be downloaded via the link below:

H.M. Inspectorate of Constabulary & H.M. Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate - "Without Consent"

One of the recommendations coming out of the Report is to establish more Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARC) and consequently more capital funding has been released by central government with the aim of increasing SARC's from 14 to 40. However, the sexual violence sector are extremely concerned that without ensuring support, advocacy and counselling services are also in place developing SARC's cannot fully address the serious deficiencies identified in the review or advance the overall care and support provided to survivors of sexual violence.

Rape Conviction Rates in England & Wales

An analysis of Home Office data shows the gulf between reported cases of rape and those that end with a conviction. In 1980, one in three reported rapes ended in convictions. Today only one in 20 does. Only about half of reported rapes get past the initial police investigation stage and a quarter end up being reported as no crime having taken place. Successful Rape Conviction Rates in England & Wales vary widely between police forces.

A prediction for 2010 from Truth About Rape

The recently released rape report states:

"In 2001, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) and Her Majesty's Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) conducted a joint thematic inspection into the investigation and prosecution of rape offences. The purpose of that inspection was "to analyse and assess the quality of the investigation, decision making and prosecution by the police and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) of allegations of rape". In doing so, its aim was to ascertain, if possible, the reasons for the high attrition rate and make recommendations to address this. Published in April 2002, the report made a total of 18 recommendations and three suggestions to improve:

• the investigation of rape cases by the police;
• guidance and training for both the police and prosecutors;
• the quality of advice, decision making, case preparation and presentation at court by prosecutors; and
• the treatment of victims and witnesses in cases involving allegations of rape.

In response, the Government published a Rape Action Plan (RAP) in July 2002, accepting virtually all of the recommendations put forward by the HMIC/HMCPSI report. Despite the relevant agencies having agreed to the RAP, research has continued to provide a picture of increasing attrition rates. As a result, in February 2005, a two-stage process to review progress on the way in which reports of rape are investigated and prosecuted was agreed by the Home Office, the police, the CPS, HMIC and HMCPSI, and comprised:

• a stocktake to assess progress specifically on the measures set out in the RAP; and
• a follow-up to the 2002 thematic inspection to be carried out by HMIC and HMCPSI."

So what is the above saying? That there was a review in 2001, recommendations were made, a plan to implement the recommendations followed in 2002, another review was conducted in 2005 and here we are in 2007 with another report which gives more recommendations. NONE OF WHICH HAVE MADE THE SLIGHTEST DIFFERENCE TO HOW RAPE IS INVESTIGATED OR PROSECUTED.

WE PREDICT by 2010 we will be in exactly the same position with more promises of research, recommendations and reports from the Home Office. For how much longer can the Home Office continue to hoodwink the country while tens of thousands of pounds are spent on research that does little more than replicate research of the past by telling us what we already know and while rape crisis groups close?

The report gives a checklist of previous recommendations that were made and the progress that has been made on each one (see pages 164 - 168). Their idea of progress is quite fantastical however. Here is an example (pretty much chosen at random because so many claims of progress could be challenged):

"Recommendation: All rape cases be allocated to specialist lawyers, who should be responsible for the case from advice stage to conclusion of any proceedings.

Substantial progress Rape specialists have been introduced and are responsible for the majority of cases. (Reservations about their qualifications are expressed elsewhere.) The use of non-specialist duty prosecutors at charging centres means that some advice, especially in custody cases, may not be given by specialists". (p165)

The 'reservations about qualifications' of the so-called specialist prosecutors the above refers to is this section of the report from page 95:

"The CPS considers the specialist lawyer to be the keystone of the effective prosecution of rape cases. However, there is no set standard of competence for that specialism, and we found a wide range of practice and opinion. Generally, the specialists are experienced lawyers and must have attended the training course on sexual offences. Some are also required to have attended the course on Speaking Up for Justice (about special measures for vulnerable and intimidated witnesses). Some had dealt regularly with rape cases; others, although experienced lawyers, had worked only in the magistrates' courts for a number of years and had not been allocated a rape case in that time. Lawyers might be appointed who had never dealt with a rape case from beginning to end". (There are a whole bunch of other 'reservations' expressed but you get the idea)

Ummm - how can that be defined as 'Substantial progress'??

The report is saying:

1. there is no standard of competence - what if there was no standards of competence for doctors: the country would be in uproar!
2. They must have attended a course on sexual offences - how long does it last - what does it consist of - is there a test that they are required to pass or is it enough just to attend?
3. Some have dealt with rape cases and others have not.

Wow, substantial progress indeed - specialist lawyers who have no recognised level of competence or experience! It would be like attending a university who advertised their academic body as experts and finding out they didn't have GCSEs (never mind degrees) of their own.

These are the very problems that we and other groups have been campaigning on for years but where we say 'the standard of competence of prosecutors is woefully inadequate and fails to deliver justice to women' this report congratulates itself!!

If George Orwell was alive he would certainly recognise this as 'Doublespeak' - language deliberately constructed to disguise or distort its actual meaning.
Updated 13th February 2007