Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the Government's Rape Review will examine potential barriers to reporting rape and sexual offences crimes for migrant victims.

In March 2019 the National Criminal Justice Board (CJB) commissioned a review to consider the decline in the number of rape and serious sexual offences being charged and prosecuted in England and Wales. A sub-group of the CJB is driving forward the review and continues to gather and analyse detailed views from key groups and agencies across the criminal justice system.

The review is currently focussed on understanding how the system’s response to rape cases can be improved from the time a report is made to when a case reaches court, as such barriers to reporting fall outside of the scope.

The Government is committed to ensuring that all victims of rape and sexual violence have access to high-quality support services to help them cope with and, as far as possible, recover from the effects of crime. These services are available to all, provided by specialist local organisations at a physical location, free of charge and regardless of whether a person reported the crime to police.