Only 1.6 percent of rape cases end up leading to a charge

According to data revealed by Home Office published in The Guardian, a staggeringly low 1.6% of cases of rape in England and Wales lead to a charge and conviction.

Fewer than one in 60

Figures analysed showed that out of 52,210 recorded cases of rape in 2020, only 843 resulted in a conviction—that's the equivalent of fewer than one in 60.

What's more, prosecutions whereby the convicted rapist is charged to the highest extent has fallen by 71% between 2016-2017 to the end of 2020. These figures, as worrying as they are, are going to be used to fuel the pressure onto the government to go ahead with its end-to-end review into how rape is prosecuted—a review that had first been commissioned two years ago now.

Initial plans suggested that the review would have been completed last spring but was ultimately pushed for a later date so more complete research could be conducted. Now, justice secretary Robert Buckland has told MPs that the review would be officially published in the first few weeks of this coming June.

'Rape cases will be taken seriously'

The review in question is said to now allow rape victims to provide pre-recorded evidence before trial, as well as banning public from courtroom galleries more often and ensuring mobile phones are returned to victims in a timelier manner. Victim's commissioner, Vera Baird, explained that:

Bearing in mind that independent reviews in both Scotland and Northern Ireland have called for radical measures, we now can't have anything less in a review in large part produced by the very agencies whose performance is in question.

While, a government spokesperson said:

Victims of rape deserve to know that their cases will be taken seriously and everything will be done to bring offenders to justice.

And adding:

That is why we are reviewing the response to this horrific crime, in consultation with survivors' groups and experts across the sector, and will set out next steps in due course.