The United Kingdom made a rare apology Friday for failing to support rape victims, admitting that drastic cuts in the judiciary in recent years have contributed to a decline in convictions.
"The first thing I need to say is sorry," said Justice Secretary Robert Buckland, as a review into the handling of rape allegations was published, calling for root-and-branch reform. "It's not good enough. We've got to do a lot better," he told the BBC in an interview.
The long-awaited government review urges prosecuting authorities to focus more on the behavior of the suspect rather than the accuser.
According to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), which brings criminal cases in England and Wales, 1,439 suspects were convicted of rape or lesser offenses in 2020 – the lowest levels since records began. In 2019, there were 1,925 convictions, despite reports of adult rape to police almost doubling since 2015-16, when there were 4,643 prosecutions.
Between 2015-16 and 2019-20, the number of reported rape cases that ended in a suspect being charged fell from 13% to 3%. Some 128,000 people a year are victims of rape and attempted rape, but only 1.6% of reported cases result in a charge, the figures stated. Buckland, Home Secretary Priti Patel and Attorney General Michael Ellis wrote in the report, "These are trends of which we are deeply ashamed."
'Long overdue'
"Victims of rape are being failed. Thousands of victims have gone without justice." Buckland told the BBC that public service funding cuts, including to the CPS, were to blame, and promised the government was looking to make "the necessary investment."
It would also tackle a culture that campaigners argue focuses more on the alleged victim than the perpetrator.
The review proposes increasing the number of cases referred by police to the CPS for consideration of prosecution and charges to 2016 levels by 2024. It recommends reducing the cross-examination of victims in court by conducting prerecorded interviews and using only evidence about the complainant that is relevant to the case. "Early and robust assessment of suspect behavior and offending patterns" should also be implemented, it added.
The Victims' Commissioner for England and Wales, Vera Baird, called the government's apology a "milestone" that would force it to act. But the former senior lawyer said the review overall was "underwhelming," did not go far enough and would be of little comfort to those who have seen their complaints dropped.
In particular, she called for changes to how police handle alleged victims' mobile phone data, given complaints investigators were routinely conducting "fishing expeditions," or searching victims' phone data for information on their behavior.
The charity Rape Crisis England and Wales said the recommendations were "long overdue" to tackle a "genuine crisis," and called for the reforms to be implemented immediately.