The Independent could reveal that a vast selection of sexual assault and rape victims with minor criminal convictions are now being denied monetary compensation.
Extraordinary data suggests that 895 sexual assault survivors have been refused redress in the five years to 2020 – around two-thirds of whom had been assaulted whenever they were kids.
The figures, obtained by campaign group Women Against Rape, discovered an extra 331 victims noticed their compensation curbed.
Around five years, 349 victims that are female were outright denied compensation due to a criminal conviction – 239 of them were kids whenever they had been assaulted. Meanwhile, 546 males have been denied compensation; 380 were kids at the assault.
“These convictions are usually for low-level offenses like shoplifting, underage drinking, moreover not paying out a television license fine,” Lisa Longstaff, a spokesperson for females Against Rape, told The Independent.
She said the data suggest more males than females are refused compensation due to getting a criminal conviction.
“This might be to do with high profile males facing kid abuse in the press including football coach scandals as well as abuse of companies in religious institutions. Though never forget that even more females suffer Rape compared to males; however, it remains hidden,” Ms. Longstaff believed.
“Women Against Rape is working hard for many years with females denied compensation for brutal crimes they experienced, overwhelmingly as kids. This’s an element of the injustice of decriminalizing Rape along with other sexual assaults.
“The victims’ convictions have been petty, like for shouting at somebody, which criminal conviction generally a long time later stopped them getting some compensation.”
The campaigner argued that being refused monetary compensation is especially “devastating” given compensation is the “only recognized acknowledgment” of the injustice in several instances.
Those who are victims of a violent crime or even discover someone close to them fall prey to violence are qualified for monetary compensation.
“Given that a lot of these victims had been attacked as kids by grown males, the trauma is lasting,” Ms. Longstaff said. “Compensation cannot eliminate the pain, though it might have helped with the expense of their safety.” and healing.
She criticized the government for declining to do something to change the principle on convictions in the face of a good deal of stress from both campaigners and the public recently.
Ms. Longstaff cited the example of a female that worked with an additional target to shoot a personal prosecution against a serial rapist and then succeeded – starting a legitimate precedent.
Even though the male was sentenced to eleven yrs in jail, the target noticed her monetary compensation significantly decreased since she’d been a sex worker.
