Members of the Asian community have told Asian Voice that they ‘still’ do not feel safe in Britain. There has been a 32% increase in reports of sexual offences last year across England and Wales. Shockingly, a BBC investigation found the average case length for sexual offences was nine months. According to Home Office data, last year 7,500 women reported a sexual assault to the Met Police, the highest figure in a decade. The number of reported sexual assaults against males aged 13 oversaw a 59% increase, to 924 cases. New figures show that 9,245 rapes were reported to the Met in the 12 months to March - a 24% increase on the previous year. This implies that there were more rapes recorded last year than at any point in the last 10 years. The total recorded reports of sexual offences - a broad crime category that includes rape, sexual assault and sexual abuse - received by the Met Police increased by 34%.
In a statement shared with Asian Voice, a spokesperson from the Metropolitan Police said, “The Met has seen an increase in the number of sexual offences reported in the last 12 months to March. We know sexual offences have been underreported in the past and we have been working hard to increase reports to the Met in order for us to investigate. The public are, rightly, less tolerant of these crimes and are speaking out. We continue to encourage anyone who has been a victim of sexual assault to report it police, you will be supported and any crimes will be fully investigated. We are determined to bring offenders to justice and will prioritise action against sexual offenders. ”
Britain has not forgotten Sabina Nessa or Sarah Everard. However, the BBC reported that despite the record increase in the number of offences being reported, the real total is believed to be much higher. Serious sexual offences are taking the longest time on record to go through Crown Courts in England and Wales. While Britons continue to navigate safety issues, a victims commissioner has recently gone on record in the media, stating that a record number of reported rapes and sexual assaults in London will push the court system to "breaking point”.
In a letter to the Justice Secretary on 25th July, the Mayor of London highlighted that at the end of March there were nearly 16,000 outstanding cases in London’s Crown Courts and nearly 73,000 in Magistrates Courts with victims and survivors in in the capital waiting for up to five years to get a court date.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said, “I am hugely concerned about the impact that the crisis in our justice system is having on survivors of rape and sexual offences in our city.
“It is unacceptable that victims and survivors are waiting up to five years to get a court date and now vitally important support services are being stretched to breaking point.
“This is exacerbating trauma, leaving vulnerable people feeling isolated and increasing the likelihood of victims withdrawing from the justice system altogether. We’re doing all we can from City Hall but we urgently need the Government to step forward and take steps to tackle the court backlog and ensure that support services are able to help Londoners in their time of need.”
Reporting likely to be much lower amongst South Asian victims
Baroness Shaista Gohir OBE, CEO of Muslim Women’s Network UK told the newsweekly, “The rise in sexual offences reporting is not surprising and I blame the legal system and successive governments because of their lack of action against perpetrators, which has resulted in very low charging and conviction rates. They have therefore decriminalised sexual assault and rape because the message they are sending is - if you rape someone, you are most likely to get away with it. It is also clear from women’s experiences that there is a lack of empathy for rape victims within police forces. Through our work, we have even come across police officers being involved in the rape and domestic abuse. There is a huge culture of rampant misogyny within policing which needs to be stamped out.
“The reporting is likely to be much lower amongst South Asian victims. Perpetrators are often known to be victims. This combined with the stigma associated with abuse (due to the victim blame culture particularly prevalent in South Asian communities), will be a massive barrier that will prevent most victims from disclosing such crimes. More investment is therefore needed in specialist services, especially culturally sensitive support for South Asian women and girls as that would give them more confidence to disclose abuse and at the very least receive therapeutic support even if they did not pursue the legal route. “
The stigma
Speaking to us, Sonya Barlow, Entrepreneur, author & BBC presenter said, “Abuse of all kinds does exist in society and has done so for years. This new generation of women and men are more likely to speak about it as they are surrounded by information and insights, be that from school or social media, informing them that abuse is not acceptable or tolerated. However, to create real change we need to encourage these conversations at home, especially within our family circles and our elders, to give them the space and security to speak up and speak out. Small but significant steps include allowing children to attend sex education classes at school and having conversations about this, as well as their bodies as they grow. Discussing different parts of the body and what’s acceptable, tolerable and should be reported. Additionally, Asian culture has a terrible reputation of “hug x person” or “give x person a kiss” if you want something, which needs to stop because this from a young person's mind doesn’t teach them consent but socialises them into thinking this is the norm. Asian communities are most definitely underreported due to the stigma related to the issue and the “log kya kahenge” attitude but this needs to shift if we are to progress, evolve and empower. All in all, society is moving but not fast enough.”
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Can we trust Met Police with our safety?
Sukhvinder Kaur, Director/Trustee of Sikh Women’s Aid shared her sentiment on the safety of women in Britain, as well as her two cents on why she thinks cases of sexual assault and rape could be rising.
What do you think could be the possible reason why the numbers went up? Or were they just underreported?
Sadly London has seen several high-profile killings of women over the last few years but these trends are reflective of a national increase. So it could be argued that the UK is in the midst of a crisis in regards to violence and abuse perpetrated against our women and girls in society.
When considering the causes of such rises, it is important to consider that Police in England and Wales recorded 67,125 rape offences in the year to December 2021, the highest recorded annual figure to date. However, In 2020-21 there were just 1,557 prosecutions, compared with 2,102 in the previous 12 months. Over the past four years, rape prosecutions in England and Wales have fallen by 70%.
We have often heard the phrase that rape is one of the ‘easiest crimes to get away with’. These shocking statistics would indicate some truth to this statement. It's also become so normalised in society, in schools, colleges and universities, that young people expect sexual assault or rape as a normal part of life. It happens.
Do you think cases in the Asian community may be underreported because of the stigma related to the offence?
There are so many barriers that all victims face when disclosing rape. However, victims of South Asian communities have many more additional barriers to reporting. Shame, victim blaming, gaslighting and so-called honour are all additional barriers to victim reporting.
Our organisation has worked with several victims of abuse (as recently as this month) and the biggest barrier we had was getting clients to trust their families with what happened to them. Reporting to the police will mean that the incidents of rape could become public knowledge and many victims are scared of the way they will be judged. Families fear being ostracised and isolated from the community. Being talked about, or talked down to, can add to this fear. Some families will be concerned that if people find out their daughter has been raped and been 'tainted', who will want to marry them. Some families are amazing in supporting a loved one who has experienced rape. However, we have seen families silence and blame victims for sexual abuse as if it is their fault. We have seen some families fall apart because of a victim's disclosure.
The Sikh Women's Aid survey last year showed that most perpetrators of sexual abuse were known to the victim, a relative or friend of the family. women are frightened of exposing the perpetrator because it might mean ruining family relationships or breaking up a family, and that guilt often proves too much.
The trauma, shame and guilt victims are left with is unacceptable. Whilst we can say, things are moving in a positive direction with conversations and awareness raising becoming more commonplace, we fear that some attitudes and behaviours such as victim blaming of rape survivors will take generations to overcome due to their prevalence and lack of any real challenge.
How can individuals and families support any victim of sexual assault and what measures can be taken to protect both men and women, including children?
Believe them. It may sound simple, but we have spoken with many girls who have said they suffered rape but won’t disclose it as they think no one will believe them. We also need to encourage victims, or parents of victims to access counselling. This is essential for a full and healthy recovery.
If something feels wrong or you fear you are being followed, don’t ignore your instincts, seek out help immediately.
Can women trust the Met Police to report such incidents and seek justice after all the recent incidents that have painted the Met Police in a bad light?
As a domestic abuse support service, we rely and depend on the police to do their job well. When officers do their jobs well, lives can be saved and outcomes for women can be positive. What the Met Police has shown communities, is that they have a huge mountain to climb to win back trust. When the very people meant to protect you, perpetrate murder, can The Met seriously expect there to be trusted?
And that's not the only force that needs to review its standards and outcomes of cases reported. A mother with a young teen daughter with learning disabilities, recently informed our staff that she had reported cases of online grooming to another police force. They informed her that it could take up to 9 months to investigate the incidents because they were, 'understaffed' and there was a 'lack' of resources. How can the police be relied upon, when reporting criminal activity, that is the response you get?
Do you feel safe in the UK?
I do not feel safe in the UK right now. When we launched our organisation at the end of last year, our staff and trustees were on the receiving end of a lot of backlash from the community. I received death threats from members of my own community. Despite reporting to the police, I was forced to relocate away from my family and loved ones to ensure our safety. I do all I can to keep my family and my two young children safe. I just hope it's enough.
