News writer Anna Constable reports on the UoB study showing that evidence of physical injuries is no longer needed to prove rape.
Trigger warning: heavily mentions sexual assault
Research by the University of Birmingham has proven that an absence of injury following rape is not grounds to argue that the rape did not occur.
There are several myths surrounding rapes and serious sexual offences, and these can affect the way they are treated in the judiciary system
There are several myths surrounding rapes and serious sexual offences, and these can affect the way they are treated in the judiciary system – one such myth stating rape can be disproven if the victim does not have any physical injuries following the event. A new review by Naumann et al has demonstrated that this is not the case.
The review, which was published on October 5th in The Lancet, compared the findings of ten different studies from the past thirty years, compiling data from over 30,000 consenting individuals. The study compared the rates of anogenital injury (AGI) in women following both consensual sex and cases of sexual assault.
The study showed that while AGI was more likely to be found following cases of sexual assault, it could occur during both sexual assault and consenting sex. Over half of the sexual assault cases had no evidence of AGI at all, disproving the myth that rape and sexual offences need evidence of physical injury to stand up in court.
Over half of the sexual assault cases had no evidence of AGI at all
‘If we wish to support rape survivors, the clinical community must send an unambiguous, evidence-based message to ensure that rape myths are fully challenged,’ said co-author of the study, Dr Naumann.
Reported rape cases are often not taken to court, with only 1.3% cases of reported rape resulting in court summons, as of September 2021. This can make it hard for survivors of rape and sexual assault to feel safe in the coming future.
When investigating allegations against Russell Brand, Sunday Times reporter, Rosamund Urwin said that ‘women don’t have faith in the criminal justice system to get justice’ for them. This new study will support women in stepping forward, by showing juries that an absence of injuries does not mean that assault did not occur.
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