2. Business Statement and Announcement

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:35 pm on 22 June 2021.

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Photo of Joyce Watson Joyce Watson Labour 2:35, 22 June 2021

Trefnydd, I'd like to ask for a statement on the significant fall in rape convictions in Wales. Compared to 2016-17, convictions for rape in 2020 were down by almost two thirds, bearing in mind that they were only successful by 5 per cent in the first place. That is with less than one in 60 rape cases recorded by police resulting in a suspect being charged. Now, I recognise this is a non-devolved area, but what is devolved is the consequence and the fall-out of that. There is never, of course, one person involved in an incident of rape. If that individual happens to be a parent, their children are affected. If they're children, their parents are affected, their siblings are affected. I remember reading an article, where one such case affects 47 different people. Of course, the other side of this, by lack of conviction, and also lack of access to justice that we've seen, through temporary and permanent court cases, does mean that, if you are unsuccessful in your conviction, you're very likely to be equally unsuccessful in the support that you and your family will need. So, I ask you, with respect, to bring something forward in the very near future, because this is a crisis, and it's a crisis that we need to take hold of.