Abstract
ABSTRACTThe policing of black and minority ethnic communities have a chequered history, with institutional racism, over policing and under protection being rife. While there have been several studies completed on policing and race, very little has looked at the intersectionality of race, gender and policing. Taking into account relevant literature which suggests that aspects of community policing may still suffer from institutional racism and based on original empirical research, this article attempts to contribute to a small literature base by concentrating on the low level of sexual abuse reporting from South Asian women and in particular on how four British police force areas currently respond to sexual abuse incidents where the victim is a member of the British South Asian community. In addition to evaluating these police responses we explore what more can be done by the police and other organisations to help increase the sexual abuse reporting rates from this and other ethnic groupings.
Highlights
The number of sexual offences reported to the police in England and Wales, over the last few years, has steadily grown, with consistent increases being seen in every quarterly analysis since March 2013
In terms of the most serious sexual offences, i.e. rape, attempted rape and assault by penetration, it is thought that only 15% of female victims make a complaint to the police (Ministry of Justice, Home Office and the Office for National Statistics 2013)
Official statistics relating to the reporting of sexual violence represent only a very small proportion of the abuse perpetrated in England and Wales
Summary
The number of sexual offences reported to the police in England and Wales, over the last few years, has steadily grown, with consistent increases being seen in every quarterly analysis since March 2013. Taking into account relevant literature which suggests that aspects of policing may still suffer from institutional racism, this article explores what happens when the added dimension of gender is added to the mix Set against this background we question why British South Asian women do not report sexual abuse to the police and consider what more can be done to encourage increased reporting in this and other black and minority ethnic (BME) communities. Similar cases have been highlighted in Preston, Rotherham, Derby, Shropshire, Oxford, Telford and Middlesbrough, with the media framing these cases as ethnically motivated While these cases shed some light on the broader problem of child sexual exploitation which is apparent across Britain, they and importantly, reveal continuing misconceptions that stereotype South Asian men as ‘natural’ perpetrators of sexual abuse due to culturally-specific notions of hegemonic masculinity (Gill and Harrison 2015). Issues of trust and confidence in the police are again significant
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
