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BELFAST TELEGRAPH
www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk
By Linda McKee
At least one woman is raped every day in Northern Ireland, disturbing new figures have revealed.
The number of rapes or attempted rapes has doubled in the Province over the last five years, Security Minister Paul Goggins said in a written response to a Parliamentary question by North Belfast MP Nigel Dodds.
The minister outlined the number of rapes, prosecutions and convictions for rape incidents since 2001, revealing the highest number of attacks recorded came in 2006/07 at 457.
The shocking figures showed that the number of recorded rapes has risen by almost 60% in five years, while the number of convictions has remained steady at around 3%.
Mr Dodds said: "The answer to this question is quite simply disturbing. The figure indicates that in 2006/07 there were 457 incidents across Northern Ireland involving rape or an attempted rape. "This is over one per day and we must begin to question here society is going. In 2001/02 there were 292 reported incidents yet today the number of incidents has risen by almost 60%.
"There are a number of factors which must be addressed, chiefly the confidence which victims can have in the justice system. Rape is a most serious crime and should be treated as such by the law.
"For far too long, the criminal justice system has been seen to be more concerned with the rights of the perpetrator than either he victim or the ordinary law abiding citizen.
"The horrific murder of Attracta Harron by an individual who was on parole after having raped another woman is still very fresh in the minds of the people of Northern Ireland and is a stark reminder to us all as to exactly how skewed the criminal justice system can be."
Mr Dodds said the news that the legal system is being restructured for dealing with sex-related crime so that public confidence can be improved suggests the Government has recognised the current system is failing victims.
Julieanne Boyle (35), whose father got seven months in jail after he raped her when she was 11, has called for tougher entencing.
Julieanne, who helps victims at the Rape Crisis and Sexual Abuse Centre, said: "I have been a victim of rape all my life and I will have to live with it forever.
"We want a system that gives perpetrators tougher sentences. We want them to get rid of 50% remission that automatically halves sentences."
A PSNI spokeswoman said: "A review has taken place into how police investigate rape. Police accept there is a shortfall and a need for improvement in this difficult and sensitive area."
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I'm surprised it took this long for the news to leak out about the dramatic (appalling, horrifying) increase in reported rape in NI. The statistics have been available for awhile, out there on the PSNI website.
I'm also surprised that, according to what I read on the site, the Rape Crisis Centre is not reaching out to work with the Universities to offer various programs - rape prevention, self-defense classes, or even something as simple as putting the word out that rape victims have a place to go for help. This is an important step, and would be of great benefit to those young, impressionable students, now and in their futures.
Something as simple as knowing what officially constitutes rape, sexual assault, etc. and knowing what to do should the horrible event actually occur may even improve the conviction rate....
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