On average there were 33 rapes and sexual assaults committed in UK hospitals every week, according to a new report by the Women’s Rights Network (WRN).
Alarming figures reveal there were over 6,500 reported rapes and sexual assaults in UK hospitals in just three years and only 4.1 percent resulted in the alleged offender being charged.
The horrifying statistics, reveal at least 2,088 rapes and 4,451 sexual assaults took place between January 2019 and October 2022– a rate of 33 a week.
Crimes that were uncovered included gang rapes and assaults on children.
The statistics were published by the Women’s Rights Network, whose founder, Heather Binning, says the revelations are “jaw-dropping”.
She said: “The volume of sexual assaults and rapes is even more horrific when you consider that this data covers the pandemic when much of the country was in lockdown and hospitals were supposedly even more vigilant.”
The Women’s Rights Network (WRN) is a grassroots network of women from the UK whose primary focus is to defend women’s sex-based rights.
The group issued Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to 43 police forces in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, with eight failing to provide the full data.
Out of the 35 forces to respond, crimes included the rape of a young girl under 13 and the rape of a female over 16 by multiple offenders in hospitals in the West Midlands.
The data revealed six sexual attacks of girls under 13 in Lancashire hospitals and also uncovered the sexual assault of a young boy under the age of 13 in a hopsital in Cambridgeshire.
The data does not reveal if offences were carried out at NHS or private facilities.
The WRN is calling on the NHS, the Care Quality Commission and police to acknowledge this “hidden domain of sexual violence” and says the figures are “the tip of an iceberg of indifference”.
Jo Phoenix, author of the report and Professor of Criminology at Reading University, said findings showed NHS trusts were “failing in their duty to protect both patients and staff”.
She added: “The fact that 95.9 percent of all reports were either no-further-actioned or not recorded is also truly appalling. Although there are no reasons given within the research for this alarmingly low figure, what is clear is that there appears to be ingrained inertia in dealing with this safeguarding and policing failure.”
An NHS England spokesperson said the figures were “unacceptable”.
They said: “All NHS Trusts and organisations must ensure robust measures are in place to ensure immediate action is taken in any cases reported to them and anyone who has experienced any misconduct or violence should come forward, report it and seek help – there is support and care available for anyone who needs it.”
The WRN is calling for patient safety in hospitals and for NHS Trusts to introduce and signpost transparent procedures for patients and staff to report incidents and raise concerns.