Sexual violence is known to be widely under-reported in the UK. Discuss why this is the case, drawing upon the social context and normalisation of sexual violence, perceptions of the police as an organisation and the structure of the criminal justice system.
Criteria
Use the criteria below as a guide to structure your essay:
Identify and describe the current climate of sexual violence and the increase in awareness of its prevalence and under-reporting (20 marks)
Offer theoretical explanations for the prevalence and normalisation of sexual violence and the phenomena of under-reporting (20 marks)
Critically consider public perceptions of the police as an organisation and how this may influence reporting rates (20 marks)
Critically consider criminal justice responses to sexual violence and how this may influence reporting rates (20 marks)
Offer possible solutions to combat under-reporting, drawing upon existing measures/movements (10 marks)
Essays must be presented in a coherent manner, correctly referenced and contain a bibliography using the Harvard referencing system (10 marks)
