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Call for better rape victim care Call for better rape victim care
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A new approach is needed to give greater priority to the care and support of rape victims, a major review in England and Wales has said.A new approach is needed to give greater priority to the care and support of rape victims, a major review in England and Wales has said.
The review's author, cross-bench peer Baroness Stern, said debate has been too focused on rape conviction rates. The review's author, crossbench peer Baroness Stern, said debate had been too focused on rape conviction rates.
Her recommendations include offering every rape victim a specialist adviser to support them after an attack. Her recommendations include offering every rape victim a specialist adviser to help them recover after an attack.
The report acknowledged attitudes and practices have improved but said implementation had been patchy. The report acknowledged attitudes and practices had improved but said implementation had been patchy.
Lady Stern, a prisons reformer, was commissioned by ministers to review how police, prosecutors and other bodies deal with complaints of rape.Lady Stern, a prisons reformer, was commissioned by ministers to review how police, prosecutors and other bodies deal with complaints of rape.
During her five-month study she talked to more than 200 people ranging from rape victims to police officers. During her five-month study, she talked to more than 200 people, including rape victims and police officers.
Lady Stern said there should be a new approach to how victims are dealt with and cared for, regardless of how the criminal investigation was carried out.
'Abysmal' treatment
She called for a network of independent professional advisers to support a victim after he or she come forward.
The obligations the state has to those who have suffered a violent crime, and a crime that strikes at the whole concept of human dignity and bodily integrity, are much wider than working for the conviction of a perpetrator Baroness SternThe obligations the state has to those who have suffered a violent crime, and a crime that strikes at the whole concept of human dignity and bodily integrity, are much wider than working for the conviction of a perpetrator Baroness Stern
The advisers' tasks would be to explain police procedures, provide a link between the victim and detectives, and support the victim in court. Lady Stern said there should be a new approach to how victims were dealt with and cared for, regardless of how the criminal investigation was carried out.
Similar schemes have been piloted in some parts of England and Wales. She said support and care for victims should be given as high a priority as prosecution and conviction of perpetrators.
Lady Stern's review also backed the use of independent centres, known as Sarcs (Sexual Abuse Referral Centres), saying they needed to be in every police force in England and Wales by 2011. It was also "completely unacceptable" for police and prosecutors to lose interest in a victim whose complaint was not going to lead to a conviction, she said.
Sarcs enable victims to receive counselling and other help, including medical examinations, without having to speak to the police. "The obligations the state has to those who have suffered a violent crime, and a crime that strikes at the whole concept of human dignity and bodily integrity, are much wider than working for the conviction of a perpetrator," she said.
"The victim must be treated as a whole person. With rape, it is always going to be difficult to be sure that you'll be able to prove it to the jury beyond reasonable doubt.
"I talked to a lot of victims and they accepted that. What they felt was really important was not in the end if they could get a conviction; what they said was, we still feel we want to be believed."
But Lisa Longstaff, from campaign group Women Against Rape, said police must focus on justice not caring for victims.
"Women do not go to the police to get care, they go to the police to get protection and justice."
'Abysmal' treatment
Other key recommendations outlined in the report include:
• A network of independent professional advisers to support a victim after she or he comes forward. Their role would be to explain police procedures, provide a link between the victim and detectives, and support the victim in court. Similar schemes have been piloted in some parts of England and Wales
• Forensic medical evidence should be gathered by the NHS, not the police
• The expansion of Sexual Abuse Referral Centres (Sarcs) to every police force in England and Wales by 2011. At these centres, victims receive counselling and other help, including medical examinations, without having to speak to the police
• Consideration of proposals for victims to have their own special lawyer in court, alongside the prosecutor and defendant's representative
Lady Stern hit out at the treatment victims of alleged rape received from police and prosecutors.Lady Stern hit out at the treatment victims of alleged rape received from police and prosecutors.
She said that while in some areas victims received the best possible support, in other areas they were treated abysmally.She said that while in some areas victims received the best possible support, in other areas they were treated abysmally.
She said support and care for victims should be given as high a priority as prosecution and conviction of perpetrators.
It was also "completely unacceptable" for police and prosecutors to lose interest in a victim whose complaint was not going to lead to a conviction.
RAPE IN ENGLAND AND WALES 13,093: Rapes recorded by police in 2008-09Victims: 12,029 women; 964 menActual number of rapes thought to be far higherNumber of reports rising 10,200 prosecutions March 2006 - 2009 58% conviction rate in those prosecutionsRAPE IN ENGLAND AND WALES 13,093: Rapes recorded by police in 2008-09Victims: 12,029 women; 964 menActual number of rapes thought to be far higherNumber of reports rising 10,200 prosecutions March 2006 - 2009 58% conviction rate in those prosecutions
"The obligations the state has to those who have suffered a violent crime, and a crime that strikes at the whole concept of human dignity and bodily integrity, are much wider than working for the conviction of a perpetrator. One woman called Gabrielle, the victim of an attempted rape in 2003, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I was treated worse than something you accidentally tread on.
"The victim must be treated as a whole person. With rape, it is always going to be difficult to be sure that you'll be able to prove it to the jury beyond reasonable doubt. "Victims need to be treated as a human being first and a piece of evidence second."
"I talked to a lot of victims and they accepted that. What they felt was really important was not in the end if they could get a conviction, what they said was, we still feel we want to be believed." Another woman, who spoke to the BBC anonymously, said the police did not seem interested when she told them she had been raped by a man she was in a relationship with.
One woman, who spoke to the BBC anonymously, said the police did not seem interested when she told them she had been raped by a man she was in a relationship with.
"I felt I was a thorn in their side. They did not really want to bother with you because it was too difficult. They would much rather deal with the crimes that they can quickly tick the box and move on.""I felt I was a thorn in their side. They did not really want to bother with you because it was too difficult. They would much rather deal with the crimes that they can quickly tick the box and move on."
But Lisa Longstaff, from campaign group Women Against Rape, said police must focus on justice, not caring for victims.
"Women do not go to the police to get care, they go to the police to get protection and justice."
'Dignity and respect''Dignity and respect'
The report also called for the NHS to take over responsibility from the police for the forensic medical examination of victims.
Lady Stern said proposals for victims to have their own special lawyer in court, alongside the prosecutor and defendant's representative, were "worthy of consideration".
For the government, Solicitor General Vera Baird said much had already been improved in combating rape.For the government, Solicitor General Vera Baird said much had already been improved in combating rape.
"Public perception of the way rape complaints are handled lags behind reality. We warmly welcome Baroness Stern's report that acknowledges the significant improvements we have made since 1997, but also identifies where work remains to be done."Public perception of the way rape complaints are handled lags behind reality. We warmly welcome Baroness Stern's report that acknowledges the significant improvements we have made since 1997, but also identifies where work remains to be done.
"We want all victims to feel confident that when they come forward and report rapes it will be taken seriously and they will be treated with dignity and respect.''"We want all victims to feel confident that when they come forward and report rapes it will be taken seriously and they will be treated with dignity and respect.''
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