In My View: Janet Daby, MP for Lewisham East

My party and I have long called for a Victims Bill. Victims need fairness and Justice.

For 13 years, the criminal justice system under the Conservatives has let victims down.

It is shocking that less than two in 100 reported rapes lead to a charge and five in six women who are raped do not report this to the police.

Victims deserve justice, but they may also need other areas of support such as therapy, medical support, and housing.

During the recent debate on the new Victims and Prisoners Bill, I stated how a female constituent who was kidnapped at knifepoint and raped well over a year ago is still waiting for therapy.

I also discussed how teenage girls have told me that when they had reported their rape to the police, they were asked what they were wearing. This question implied it was their fault.

It is ludicrous that women in our society are blamed for a crime committed against them of this nature.

At all levels of the criminal justice system, victims must be supported with compassionate and genuine care.

However, what the Government are proposing does not go far enough to protect victims.

There are no defined rights for victims and the Government has done little to address non-compliance with the Victims’ Code.

The police and the relevant authorities must be given the proper resources to implement this code.

In contrast to the Government, Labour has a plan to put victims at the heart of the criminal justice system.

This includes:

1. Offering free legal advice to rape survivors
2. Giving victims of major tragedies the same legal representation as the authorities that failed them
3. Ensuring that individuals who suffer anti-social behaviour are recognised and supported as victims
4. Granting the Victims Commissioner powers to enforce the Victims’ Code and hold the Government to account

While this Bill was initially meant to focus on victims, the Government is also making controversial reforms to the parole of
prisoners.

The Prison Service is already in crisis. Prison officers are difficult to recruit, difficult to retain and many are leaving the profession.

It is not surprising that prisoners are struggling to cope with mental health issues.

Arbitrarily keeping offenders in prison for longer than necessary, which is what the Bill aims to achieve, could exacerbate this crisis.

It is clear this legalisation does not do enough for victims, and it risks increasing the problems already engulfing the prison system.

The Hillsborough and Grenfell disasters also highlight the need for an independent public advocate for such national tragedies. This has taken far too long to be established.

There should also have been an independent public advocate following the contaminated blood scandal.

Shamefully, the Government has not learned these lessons.

This is because the Government’s current proposed public advocate in this Bill lacks legal powers to compel public authorities to disclose evidence and data.

I will therefore be working with colleagues to improve this Bill.

If you are a victim of rape and are unsatisfied with the criminal justice system, then I would like to hear from you.

Please email me on janet.daby.mp@parliament.uk