We call on the government to consider whether jurors on rape trials should be vetted, trained or even replaced by a panel of experts trained in all aspects of sexual behaviour and violence.
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< 2% of reported rape cases go to trial. The police and CPS won’t put forward cases that won’t get past a jury. Based on YouGov research from 2018 on ‘Public Attitudes to Sexual Consent’, on average four members of a jury could think that rape by coercion isn’t rape, three could think that rape in a relationship isn’t rape and one could be unsure if rape when the other person is drunk or asleep is rape. We live in a society where misogyny is rife, where rape culture is creating a hostile environment for some schoolgirls, where some men send vile messages to women who speak out about harassment, and where even some police have been exposed as thinking it’s ok to joke about raping women. Victims deserve justice and the current system only rarely delivers it.