Website begins sex attack campaign

A parenting website has launched a campaign to support sex attack victims as one in 10 women responding to its poll said they had been raped.

The survey of 1,600 women by Mumsnet found a tenth of those who responded had been raped and a third had been sexually assaulted.

But more than four in five of the victims did not report the attack to police due to concerns over low conviction rates, embarrassment and shame, the figures showed.

A total of 1,609 women chose to complete the survey online between February and March.

One in 10 women responding to a
Mumsnet poll said they had been raped

Launching the group's We Believe You campaign, co-founder Justine Roberts said society was less sympathetic to victims than it should be.

"We simply shouldn't accept that we live in a country where one in 10 women are raped and over one third sexually assaulted," she said.

"Things are made worse by the feeling among many women that they can't talk about these crimes for fear of being treated unsympathetically, denying them access to practical and emotional support when they need it most.

"The message from the men and women on Mumsnet is clear: we believe you - and we want others in society to start believing you too."

A total of 1,609 women chose to complete the survey by the Mumsnet Insight team online between February and March.