A report by organisations concerned with sexual violence and women’s rights has called for radical changes to the judicial process when it comes to rape cases, with prosecutions and convictions falling year on year.

Between January and the end of July 2020, there have been just 20 rape cases resulting in charge in West Yorkshire, according to a Freedom of Information request submitted by The Yorkshire Post.

In Humberside during this period, there were just 23 prosecutions out of 657 rape investigations, while in South Yorkshire in 2019 there were 22.

'Catastrophic' failures have been identified in the justice system which are leaving survivors of sexual violence feeling abandoned

One person was charged in a rape investigation in North Yorkshire this year, although these figures exclude the Craven, Hambleton and Scarborough districts.

Today’s report by Rape Crisis, the Centre for Women’s Justice (CWJ), the End Violence Against Women (EVAW) Coalition, and BAME anti-violence campaign group Imkaan, sought the views of rape and serious sexual assault victims who recalled their barriers to accessing justice.

It also harvested existing statistical evidence including that relating to the plummeting number of convictions.

Their findings represent a “shadow report” to the Government’s imminent rape review, and will be presented to MPs today.

Labour MP for Rotherham Sarah Champion, who is former Shadow Women and Equalities Minister and part of the Child Sexual Abuse & Exploitation Commission, said: “Too often I’ve campaigned to try and secure justice for survivors who have been repeatedly failed by the system.

“We need to see a root and branch overhaul of justice in England, not least to act as a meaningful deterrent to perpetrators.

“We must show zero tolerance to gendered violence and address the underlying culture that enables it to flourish.”

Figures released by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in the summer showed just 173 alleged rapists were convicted of rape or lesser offences across Yorkshire & the Humber in 2019/20 – down from 217 the year before.

MP Sarah Champion said the underlying culture which enables gendered violence needed to be addressed

Today’s report identified recurring barriers to justice, including myths rape victims were “asking for it”, or had dressed provocatively. Cases also fell due to scrutiny of victims’ mobile phones, which meant prosecutors were more likely to believe a victim had consented to sex, despite medical evidence proving the contrary.

The report states, “these kinds of failures are longstanding,” and made recommendations including no longer examining an alleged rape victim’s sexual history and creating a minister focused on investigating and prosecuting serious sexual offending.

Sarah Green, EVAW coalition director, said women were being “completely let down” and “discriminated” against by the justice system.

She said: “Rape as a public policy issue needs to go right up the political agenda, with a clear ministerial lead and the intention to completely turn the current situation around.”

'Catastrophic' failures have been identified in the criminal justice system which are 'emboldening' serial rapists

Pontefract and Castleford Labour MP Yvette Cooper, Chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee, said: “This is a deeply serious report which shows how disastrously rape victims are now being let down in the criminal justice system as the Government has allowed things to get worse and worse over the last few years.

"Prosecution and conviction rates for rape are falling further even though they were already too low, and we need urgent action to turn things round.

"The Government needs to take this report immensely seriously and set out a proper urgent plan to ensure that victims get support and justice, and that rapists don’t get away with appalling crimes.”

A Government spokesman said: “Victims of rape deserve to know that their cases will be taken seriously and everything will be done to bring offenders to justice.

“That is why we are reviewing the response to this horrific crime, in consultation with survivors’ groups and experts across the sector, and will carefully consider this report.”

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Radical changes needed to criminal justice system with low prosecution and conviction rates 'emboldening' serial rapists, report claims