Number of people convicted for domestic abuse in 2014-15 tops 68,000
LONDON, June 25 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - The number of both prosecutions and convictions for violence against women in England and Wales hit all-time highs in the past year, the Crown Prosecution Service said on Thursday, an increase welcomed by activists.
Figures published by the CPS show that over 107,000 cases of rape, domestic abuse and sexual abuse were prosecuted in the year to April 5, 2015, an 18.3 percent increase from 2013-14, while convictions rose by 16.9 percent to almost 79,000.
"This is really good news for the victims of these dreadful crimes and is also testament to the hard work we have done recently to encourage victims to come forward," said Alison Saunders, Britain's director of public prosecutions.
Prosecutors are handling more non-recent child sexual abuse cases as well as complex rape cases, Saunders said. Britain is holding a major inquiry into allegations of decades of abuse by high-profile figures including politicians.
"We still have some distance to travel before all survivors of sexual violence and violence against women and girls receive the justice they want and deserve," said Katie Russell of Rape Crisis England and Wales.
The number of people convicted for domestic abuse rose by 10,000 in 2014-15 to more than 68,000, also a record high, the CPS figures show.
"Progress must continue until we have a system where women who experience domestic violence have exactly the same level of confidence as victims of other crimes," said Polly Neate, chief executive of Women's Aid.
The conviction rate for rape decreased slightly to 56.9 percent.
(Reporting By Joseph D'Urso, editing by Tim Pearce; Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, corruption and climate change. Visit www.trust.org)
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