There are few factors behind it new offences, such as revenge porn (which became illegal in April 2015) mean that there are more areas in which women can file charges, and theres also the argument that by being increasingly open about sexual violence and abuse (and getting rid of the shame that often accompanies it), more women are able to come forward and take legal action than ever before meaning that the prosecution figures would rise, even if the number of incidents doesnt actually go up.
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The vast majority of defendants were men, with women accounting for just 2.7 per cent, and of those prosecuted 78 per cent were convicted.
New laws were recently introduced in a bid to tackle “revenge” porn; in which images of a sexual nature are shared to cause humiliation.
Across England and Wales, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is prosecuting and convicting a record number of rape, domestic abuse, sexual offences and child abuse cases, a report published today shows.
More than 100,000 people were prosecuted for domestic violence in England and Wales past year, and more than 75,000 were convicted.
The director of public prosecutions said the cases were part of a trend of crimes committed through social media.
“We have also found that defendants in controlling or coercive cases rely on tactics such as Global Positioning System tracking and monitoring phone or email messages.
Following this work we have seen a rise in the rape conviction rate to 57.9 per cent and, significantly, there has also been a fall in the number of acquittals after trial”.
Social media is being partly blamed for the rise in violence against women, through its ease of use and the seemingly lack of punishment.
Chief Executive of Women’s Aid, Polly Neate, said survivors of domestic abuse were starting to have more confidence in the criminal justice system, leading to more prosecutions and convictions.
Almost 12,000 defendants were prosecuted for sexual offences other than rape, a rise of 22.5% on the previous year and the highest volume on record.
The report also explored data on the new criminal offence of disclosing private sexual images without consent, also known as “revenge pornography”.
Child sexual abuse convictions increased by nearly 17 per cent in the period.
She said she had doubled resources in specialist units handling rape and serious sexual offence cases, and that prosecutors received detailed training.
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Rachel Krys, co-director of the End Violence against Women Coalition, said the increase in prosecutions showed more women were seeking justice.
