Police, prosecutors and minsters must act on ‘unacceptable’ low rates of rape case charges, watchdog urges

• In 2020-21, 2.6 per cent of reported rape cases against women led to charges 
• The EHRC claims increasing numbers of victims are withdrawing allegations  

Police, prosecutors and ministers must take action to tackle ‘unacceptable’ low rates of rape case charges, Britain’s equality watchdog urged yesterday.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission said in its five-yearly monitoring report for Parliament that there has been a ‘sharp drop’ in the number of allegations of sexual assaults leading to prosecutions.

In 2020-21 only 2.6 per cent of rape offences against women recorded by police led to charges, down from 10.5 per cent in 2015-16.

Increasing numbers of victims are withdrawing their allegations, the EHRC said.

They suggested it could be because many ‘report the perpetrator is a partner or ex-partner’.

The watchdog also urged police forces and Government to tackle antisemitism and Islamophobia, which were ‘major drivers’ of hate crime in England and Wales.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission said in its five-yearly monitoring report for Parliament that there has been a ‘sharp drop’ in the number of allegations of sexual assaults leading to prosecutions (Stock Image)

In 2020-21 only 2.6 per cent of rape offences against women recorded by police led to charges

It cited Home Office figures showing that 42 per cent of religious hate crimes in 2021-22 were targeted against Muslims and 23 per cent against Jewish people – compared with just 8 per cent against Christians.

Other demands included telling schools to address the ‘underperformance’ of boys relative to girls.

The NHS was urged to do more about the ‘unacceptable’ waiting times for transgender people trying to be seen by Gender Identity Clinics, with 11,500 adults seeking appointments in England in May 2022 along with 3,500 children being referred for treatment.

Another finding was that twice as many gay and lesbian Britons, 11.3 per cent, had suffered domestic abuse in a year than heterosexuals, 5.1 per cent.

Looking at age discrimination, the study said that one in four over-65s do not have access to the internet at home.

The NHS was urged to do more about the ‘unacceptable’ waiting times for transgender people trying to be seen by Gender Identity Clinics (Stock Image)

However, it also noted progress including improvements in earnings and a fall in poverty levels.

EHRC chairman Baroness Falkner, who recently survived a ‘witch hunt’ by her own staff for her trans-critical views, said: ‘While we welcome the improvements made over the past five years, it is clear that substantial action is required in many areas.

‘By addressing disparities that affect specific groups, we can collectively improve services and work towards a fairer society.’

The Home Office said: ‘Whilst recently published statistics – covering the year to March 2023 – show there has been an overall reduction in hate crimes recorded by police, any instance of hate crime is one too many’.

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