According to the UK Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), prosecutions and convictions for domestic and sexual violence in the UK reached new highs in the years 2015 and 2016. The CPS also reported more than 200 prosecutions under the recently enacted crime of “revenge porn,” or the release of private sexual images without consent. The CPS linked the increase in prosecutions and convictions to improved resources and specialized training for police and prosecutors. Additionally, according to women’s rights advocates in the UK, women have greater confidence in the criminal justice system and are thus more likely to report violence.
However, despite the CPS statistics, critics argue that the majority of women victims of violence still do not report crimes of rape or abuse. They also say that support services are severely under-funded.
Compiled from: Lombardi, Pietro, UK takes record action on violence against women as ‘revenge porn’ rises, Reuters (September 6, 2016).