Comment: Less Than 1% of Rapes End in Conviction. We Need to Discuss This

I wrote a little while back that I was scared of getting raped or attacked on a general basis so much so that I tend to walk home with my keys in my hand. Today has given me another reason to grip those keys even tighter. It seems that even if a man admits to rape, he will serve very little prison time for it. I am of course referring to Magnus Meyer Hustveit and his sentence of 15 months for repeatedly raping his ex-girlfriend while she slept. When the case was originally heard, Hustveit was commended for admitting to the crime. He was commended for telling the truth about using his ex-girlfriend for his own sexual gratification while she slept. He was commended for confessing for repeatedly taking advantage of his girlfriend while she when she was at her most vulnerable. He was commended for admitting to horrible crimes that he committed. I would say that he should be commended for telling the truth because of his overwhelming guilt, but I can’t. Repeated abuse doesn’t warrant understanding, it warrants punishment. 10 out of every 100 rapes are reported in Ireland with less than 1% of those reported ending in a conviction. Rape is something that isn’t quite tangible in Ireland. If a woman gets raped she’s either asking for it because she wore provocative clothing or because she was drunk. If a man is raped, he is scoffed at because well how could a man be raped?  Rape affects both genders and we’re not doing enough about it. The funding for Rape Crisis Centres has been cut year on year for the past number of years and it is an absolute outrage. What the government is saying is that rape isn’t a serious crime so why should we provide the funding? Hustveit received a seven-year suspended sentence that was overturned and today was re-sentenced to 15 months in prison. Let’s think about that for a second. A woman who is raped and has an abortion in Ireland can be sentenced to up to 7 years in prison. Apparently you can admit to rape in this country and walk away having served less than a fifth of time that you would for having an abortion as a result of the rape. Where is the fairness? Where is the justice? We have seen this happen over and over again. In 2012 Anthony Lyons was sentenced to 6 years in prison for the rape of a young woman in 2010. Five and half of those years were suspended and he served 6 months in prison before public outcry meant he was re-sentenced to a further 13 months. The fact that we have to re-sentence these men because their initial sentences were ‘unduly lenient’ is an insult to victims of sexual assault everywhere. Please tell me how I am supposed to sleep easy in a country that doesn’t adequately punish sexual assaults. If I get raped and I report it, I have less than a 1% chance of a conviction. I guess I won’t be able to let go of my keys anytime soon.

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Rachel O'Neill is a contributor to Her.ie. She is a 21-year-old Neuroscience student in UCD. Full-time feminist and Creme Egg enthusiast. If you are interested in becoming a contributor, please contact [email protected]