Only 20% Of Rapes Reported, Says Charity

By Frazer Maude, Sky News Correspondent

Thousands of women who have been sexually assaulted may have too little faith in the legal system to report the crimes, says a victim support charity.

Rape Crisis carried out a survey of 1,000 women with Reveal Magazine. The results suggest that 16% of women in the UK have been raped, but that only a fifth of those report it to police.

A quarter of those who did not report the crimes said it was because they did not think there was a strong chance of prosecution, and a fifth said they did not think there was enough support from the legal system to help them get through it.

One woman who did find the strength to go to the police was Zoe Priestley from Somerset.

She was raped hundreds of times by her stepfather between the ages of nine and 15.

He has since been jailed for 12 years for assaulting her, and two other young girls.

Ms Priestly has waived her right to anonymity as a rape victim to tell Sky News about the help and support that is available through Independent Sexual Violence Advisors, or ISVAs.

She said: "It means so much to a victim to have them around.

"They are your rock, providing emotional and psychological support. I'd never even heard of an ISVA, or the role they do, but mine was invaluable to me.

Zoe Priestley said the support she received helped her after she was raped

"I feel in a very good place now. I feel great at the moment, everything's out in the open, I've got no secrets. I feel fantastic."

Home Office figures suggest that there are around 95,000 rapes every year, with only 1% resulting in a conviction.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: "Rape and sexual violence are devastating crimes which ruin lives.

"It is vital victims have the confidence to come forward knowing they will be supported, taken seriously and that offenders will be brought to justice. 

"This is why we have ring-fenced nearly £40m to tackle violence against women and girls, including funding to rape support centres and other services for victims."

Fiona Elvins, operations co-ordinator for Rape Crisis South London, which commissioned the survey, said: "What we do know about rape is that a lot of women won't even talk about it, so they won't disclose that they have been raped.

"From the British crime survey we've got an estimated 95,000 women in the UK every year experience rape.

"Of those you've got about 10,000 maybe that go through to thinking about reporting it and the conviction rate after that is about 1,000 so it just trickles down and down.

"There is a huge social stigma attached to speaking out about sexual violence, so that in itself is enough to stop someone talking to families, friends, partners about their experience."

Ms Priestly has turned her life around since suffering at the hands of her abuser.

After finishing university, she starts work next week as a mental health carer, and hopes one day to become an Independent Sexual Violence Advisor herself.

She supports the call for the funding of more ISVAs and hopes that if there is help available, more victims will come forward and more men like her stepfather will be brought to justice.

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