Sex offence victims deserve ‘confidence in the system’ says Gosport MP as government minister promises new 24/7 support line

Yesterday in the House of Commons chamber, Dame Caroline Dinenage asked Victoria Atkins MP to ensure victims of rape have the confidence in system to deliver swift and decisive justice.

As minister of state at the Ministry of Justice, Ms Atkins is responsible for rape and serious sexual offences as well as violence against women.

She was answering an urgent question in the chamber on the rise in the incidence of rape not taken forward for criminal prosecution.

There has been a 67 per cent increase in rape convictions since 2020, and the time it takes to for cases to be completed to charge is down five weeks since the peak in June last year.

Dame Caroline asked the minister: ‘I have absolutely no doubt of my honourable friend’s absolute commitment and dedication to this cause and I am very grateful for that.

‘A lot of the figures she quotes are very encouraging, but the fact is we have got a long way to go.

‘Key to this is confidence in the system, confidence for the victims to come forward in the first place and confidence to stay the course throughout the process which can be fairly punitive.

‘What more is she doing to drive this confidence amongst victims?’

Ms Atkins responded: ‘I think there are many ways in which we can support victims and one of them is through specialist support of working with women and victims of sexual violence.

‘Another thing that we are in the process of setting up and I am extremely grateful to Rape Crisis for their help on this, is that we are setting up a 24/7 support line for victims of sexual violence.

‘We are testing it carefully over the next couple of months to make sure that we understand when peaks and flows will necessitate proper staffing.

‘But we are absolutely committed to providing these services so that victims can get that help they need when they need it.’

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Ms Dinenage, former women and equalities minister and current member of the women and equalities select committee, responded: ‘I am pleased that the minister has announced the department is trialling a 24/7 support line for victims of sexual violence.

‘This will be absolutely vital for those who need support and I look forward to seeing how this will help victims across the country.’

The government has also promised to increase the number of Independent Sexual and Domestic Violence Advisors to more than 1,000 by 2024/25.

This news comes shortly after an investigation by Her Majesty Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services highlighted a number of ‘urgent’ concerns about how the military police dealt with rape, serious sexual offences, and domestic abuse.

The Ministry of Defence pledged to take ‘decisive steps to improve’ how it protects victims after the report uncovered ‘worrying’ safeguarding failings.

Victims of rape and domestic abuse can find support by contacting Portsmouth-based charity Aurora New Dawn on 023 9421 6816 or visiting aurorand.org.uk.