The law and criminal justice system has been held under intense scrutiny following David Cameron’s speech to the Conservative Women Organisation in November. The Tory leader outlined the shocking statistics for rape convictions in the U.K. compared with other European countries. Cameron addressed the issue of rape, which was becoming a forgotten issue amongst the majority of society.
The U.K. currently holds the worst convictions rates in Europe, with the frighteningly low conviction rate of 5.1%, while Scotland alone convicted only 4.3% of recorded rape cases. At a local level the Lothian and Borders area holds a startlingly low conviction rate of only 1.4%. If these statistics are compared with countries, such as Italy which has a conviction rate of 48.8% in 2003 and Ireland which boasts a conviction rate of 59.3%, the U.K., especially Scotland, has to face the fact that the criminal justice system is failing. The U.K. must realise that something has to be done to give rape victims justice and to increase the protection of women from rape without their loss of freedom.
Women’s right movements will be relieved at Cameron’s openness about rape and his worry for the seemingly increasing number of rape offences, yet the ever rock-bottom conviction rate. Cameron outlined three initiatives during his speech: to improve the conviction rates of rape and increase the sentence of imprisonment; to increase the number of rape crisis centres; and to change the cultural values of the U.K. However, this is something that cannot be changed over night.
The current maximum sentence for rape is life imprisonment. Obviously it is in very extreme cases that the defendant is punished this severely. The reality of rape sentences are far from severe with the average jail sentence being only 4 years and many perpetrators are gaining freedom after a matter of months. But it must be questioned as to whether more severe punishments would lead to determent and justice or whether it would be self-defeating, leading to more rapists escaping prison as juries may be reluctant to give defendants a harsh punishment in a case where it is one person’s word against another?
Rape Crisis Centres have undergone recent turmoil under the Labour government, as more centres are forced to close down. In 1985 there were 84 Rape Crisis Centres in the U.K. compared to only 32 today; which is set to decline even further. These cuts to Rape Crisis Centres will most definitely have an adverse effect on victims of rape, with only around 20% of rape victims who seek advice and help from these centres actually reporting the crime to the police. If more confidential support is not offered to victims of rape then rape will become ever more life-destroying for its victims.
Cameron’s attack on the U.K.’s cultural values also holds importance as women continue to be stigmatised for rape. Even though the Sexual Offence Act of 2003 aimed to strengthen the law and the protection of the victim, women continue to feel uncomfortable reporting rape to the police and going through the lengthy and debilitating court procedure. The court room is often described as the “second assault” on rape victims due to the continuation of hostile questioning and public sexism, while women’s sexual history, alcohol intake and clothing continues to be a major aspect of the trial. Those in authority who are supposed to administer justice, regardless of their personal opinions of a crime, must be interrogated into their conduct.
It is not only the sexism in the criminal justice system that has lead to a lack of justice for rape victims; it is the sexism that runs throughout our own society. In 1999 the Zero Tolerance Charitable Trust conducted a survey in Glasgow discovering that one in seven young men thought that forcing their long-term partner to have sex with them was acceptable. Amnesty International found that one in four respondents to a poll in 2005 thought that a woman was partly responsible for being raped if she wore sexy or revealing clothing. This cultural apathy towards victims of rape shows how, as a nation, we are taking the wrong attitude towards sexual abuse.
Locally, the University of Edinburgh Amnesty International Society began a ‘Stop Violence Against Women’ campaign following a series of meetings that were held in December. The Society acknowledged that rape was under-reported to the police and that the media creates problems for rape victims, due to the myths of rape that it portrays. It needs to be recognised that the media sensationalises rape and focuses on “stranger danger”, preaching to young women that they are most in danger, especially when they are out at night, in revealing clothing and intoxicated with alcohol. The media demonises women who do not restrict their behaviour and effectually uses rape as a means to control women. What the media ignores however is; the truth. The truth that women are most likely to be raped by someone they know and that the most common perpetrators are husbands and partners. The Rape Crisis website exposed that 97% of rape victims that contact them knew their assailant before the attack. The media continually tells women the opposite; which means that women who are abused by their partners, friends or family feel as though it is not rape and therefore do not report it because it does not conform to the stereotype of rape. In order for this to change the media must reveal the true picture of rape to ensure that women understand what rape is. Women need to be taught that it is not their fault that their “loved” ones are abusing them and the Police need to be more willing to listen to women who are suffering from sexual abuse.
Amnesty International Society have begun to take direct action against rape firstly by advertising the various facilities that are available at the Advise Place on Campus for reporting and counselling, as well as a potential poster campaign that aims to challenge the attitudes of sexism and the myths of rape. At a national level, Cameron’s speech was right to raise the issue of rape and to argue that something must be done about the injustice of rape. However, I think that he does not recognise the extent of the problem, nor does he realise just how dramatic our culture will have to change in order for women to feel safe from rape. Firstly, this means a change of attitude towards women that are raped. The victims of rape need to be decriminalised. It is the perpetrator that is on trial not the victim. Secondly, the myth of “stranger danger” needs to be eliminated to ensure that women feel able to take someone that they are close to, to the police. Rape is rape regardless of who the perpetrator is. If Cameron is able to see his proposals through I think he could win back disillusioned female voters and make the U.K. a safer place for women in general. However, rape is not a crime that will suddenly cease to exist and for now we will have to ensure that the victims of rape receive support and justice.
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