调查：强奸指控常被警察“一笔勾销”

Mr Assange is currently holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy fighting extradition to Sweden.

Police choose not to investigate rape complaints more often than any other type of violent crime, as one in nine allegations is “written off”, new analysis shows.

Figures from the Home Office show police believe “no crime” took place following 11 percent of rape complaints.

In contrast, allegations are not investigated in just two percent of reported burglaries, three percent of drugs complaints, five percent of robberies and six percent of non-sexual assaults.

Earlier this year, a study by the Criminal Justice Joint Inspection team found pressure to keep recorded cases to a “minimum” may lead forces to write off too many allegations as “no crime” incidents.

The data comes amid fresh controversy over the high-profile allegations of sexual assault facing Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks - accusations that he strongly denies.

Mr Assange is currently holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy fighting extradition to Sweden where he is wanted for questioning over two incidents.

George Galloway, the Respect MP, also caused furore by suggesting Mr Assange has been accused of no more than bad "sexual etiquette".

Mr Galloway, speaking in a 30 minute video blog on Sunday, said the allegations levelled against Mr Assange could not be considered rape.

He said: "Even taken at its worst, if the allegations made by these two women were true, 100 percent true, and even if a camera in the room captured them, they don't constitute rape. At least not rape as anyone with any sense can possibly recognise it. "

Mr Galloway was condemned for his comments by women's rights groups, who said he was misrepresenting the law on rape.

Women's groups have also been protesting this week about comments from Todd Akin, a Republican congressman, who said victims of "legitimate rape" rarely get pregnant.

(Read by CJ Henderson. CJ Henderson is a journalist at the China Daily Website.)

双语资讯

(Agencies)

最新研究显示，与其他类型的暴力犯罪案件相比，警察更不爱调查强奸投诉，有九分之一的强奸指控被“一笔勾销”。

英国内政部的数据显示，警察认为有11%的强奸投诉是无中生有。

相比之下，只有2%的报告盗窃案件、3%的毒品案件、5%的抢劫案件和6%的非性侵犯案件没有被调查。

今年早些时候，刑事审判联合调查组发现，把有记录的案件保持在“最低水平”的压力可能会使警方将过多指控列为“非犯罪”事件。

最近，朱利安-阿桑奇面临性侵犯指控一事遭到热议。阿桑奇是维基解密网站的创始人，他断然否认了这些指控。

阿桑奇目前躲避在厄瓜多尔驻英国使馆，拒绝被引渡到瑞典。他遭到瑞典通缉，面临两起性侵犯案件的指控。

国会议员乔治-加洛韦认为，阿桑奇只是“性礼节”不太好而已，他的这番言论也在人们中间引发了轰动。

加洛韦上周日在一个长达30分钟的视频博客中说，针对阿桑奇的指控不能被定为强奸。

他说：“就算按最坏的情况，这两名女性所说属实，完全属实，就算屋里有摄像机拍下了他们，也不能构成强奸罪。至少不是稍微有点儿常识的人都能认出的强奸。”

女性权益组织指责了加洛韦的言论，说他歪曲了有关强奸案件的法律。

女性权益组织本周还对美国共和党议员托德•艾金的言论予以反驳，艾金声称“合法强奸”很少导致怀孕。

Vocabulary:

write off: 勾销，取消

furore: 公众的骚动，狂怒