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Our statement on new figures on conviction rates for rape in Scotland

New figures released by the Scottish Government show the stark reality of just how difficult it is for survivors to get justice after rape.

On average, just 24% of those accused of rape in single complainer cases are convicted. This is a shockingly low figure. The figure for convictions for all crimes is far higher, at 84%.

These figures only relate to those cases that reach court. Most rapes reported to the police never make it to court. Far too many survivors are being left with no sense of justice.

There is robust research to show that rape myths have a significant impact on jury decision making in sexual offence cases. Survivors also often tell us that the experience of going to court is more traumatic than the experience of sexual violence itself.

It couldn’t be clearer that change is urgently needed. The Scottish Government’s Victims, Witnesses and Justice Reform Bill includes proposals which could radically change how survivors experience the justice system, including scrapping the Not Proven verdict, introducing specialist sexual offence courts and a pilot of judge led trials for rape cases. The Bill will return to parliament next week for debate and we very much hope members from across the chamber will take its proposals seriously and vote to improve the experience of seeking justice in Scotland for survivors of sexual violence.