People who are raped face a 'culture of disbelief', commissioner warns

Dame Vera Baird QC said a combination of myths surrounding rape and a drop in the number of people prosecutions, despite record volumes of cases being reported to police, meant many victims feel like they were unsupported by the criminal justice system. Dame Vera told the PA news agency how the lack of convictions was particularly disappointing given the good work of the #MeToo campaign in encouraging victims to come forward. “It’s myths and stereotypes about the way women behave, gender relations and so on.” But she praised the way successful campaigns have given many victims the courage to speak out about their ordeals and report the matter to police. She said: “I think #MeToo has played a role – as have the prosecutions of Rolf Harris, Stuart Hall, Max Clifford – that was very telling. “The obvious concern is this is not carrying through in convictions.” The annual Violence Against Women and Girls report from the Crown Prosecution Service, published in September, showed there were just 1,925 convictions for rape  or an alternative lesser offence during the financial year 2018-19, down from 2,635 in the previous 12 months – a drop of 26.9%. Figures also showed that the charge rate for rape, essentially the decision to press ahead with a prosecution, dropped from 64.3% in 2014-15 to 48.2% this year.