BETWEEN October 2011 and September 2012, the Crime Survey for England and Wales recorded nearly 52,000 reports of sexual violence against women. That’s around 1,000 accounts a week of women suffering from the horrors of sexual abuse and rape.
Since then, the Ministry of Justice, the Home Office, and the Office for National Statistics conducted a survey which shows this figure has now risen dramatically to 95,000 cases a year. The statistic has, harrowingly, almost doubled.
“Violence against women is one of the most complex and challenging issues in the UK today, and government cuts to rape crisis centres, refuges and services for at-risk women are having a devastating impact.”
Perhaps the most shocking statistic of all is that only around five per cent of these crimes results in a conviction. This means that back in the 1970s – when ‘Yorkshire Ripper’ Peter Sutcliffe sexually assaulted and murdered 13 women – more rapists were convicted than they are now, in the 21st century.
It could be due to the issue of rape being a ‘chicken and the egg’ situation. The horrifyingly low figure doesn’t encourage women to report sexual offences due to the unlikeliness of a conviction. Why would you put yourself through such a rigorous and traumatic system for no justice at the end of it? When a defendant pleads not guilty, it takes an average 702 days to reach a verdict. This means it could take nearly two years to get closure for the victim.
‘Reclaim The Night’ march in Manchester is an annual campaign, which aims to give women a voice and a chance to reclaim the streets at night at a safe and empowering event.
Reclaim The Night ManchesterIn a recent survey, 95 per cent of women said they don’t feel safe on the streets, especially at night. The march on Thursday 21 February is aimed to create a night where women can ‘Reclaim The Night’ and not fear for their safety on the streets of Manchester. But it is an event which puts the issue on the agenda for our future generations, not just for one night only. It’s a basic human right which needs to be fiercely protected by the government.
Disturbingly, according to an ICM poll commissioned by Amnesty International in 2005 found that over one third of the British public surveyed believed that women were sometimes wholly or partly to blame if they were raped, for example if they had been drinking, if they flirted or dressed provocatively. ‘Reclaim The Night’ event, first launching in 1977, aims to abolish this ignorant view once and for all. And rightly so.
Tabz O’Brien Butcher, Women’s Officer at the University of Manchester Students’ Union believes the event will put the issue of women’s safety back on the national political agenda. It needs be brought to the forefront once again.
She said: “Violence against women is one of the most complex and challenging issues in the UK today, and government cuts to rape crisis centres, refuges and services for at-risk women are having a devastating impact.”
Reclaim the Night Manchester starts at Owens Park, Fallowfield at 7pm. A neon parade will head down Wilmslow Road towards Manchester Students' Union.
The march is free of charge. Tickets for the after party featuring Misha B, cost £3 in advance or £5 on the door. Click here to buy your tickets.
