UK Information Commissioner Calls For Limiting Data Collection In Rape Cases

Umer Jamshaid Published May 31, 2022 | 09:18 PM

UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) on Tuesday called on the criminal justice sector to immediately halt the excessive collection of personal data about victims of rape or serious sexual assault

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 31st May, 2022) UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) on Tuesday called on the criminal justice sector to immediately halt the excessive collection of personal data about victims of rape or serious sexual assault.

On Tuesday, the ICO published a report, revealing that victims of rape and sexual assault are currently being asked to agree to hand over a huge amount of personal information to the police prior to an investigation. Victims are requested to sign a so-called Stafford statement, granting police the access to information about the victim, including school, medical and social service records.

"Victims are being asked to allow access to medical records, school reports, social service records and the contents of their mobile phones as a precondition to accessing justice. Victims are being treated as suspects... This is not about data protection or data processing.

This is about people feeling revictimised by a system they are entitled to expect support from," UK Information Commissioner John Edwards said in the report.

Furthermore, the report suggested that the current approach is undermining confidence in the criminal justice and re-harasses complainants, who may be subjected to far more serious questioning about their personal information than the suspects they accuse.

To address this problem and reinstate trust and confidence in the legal protection system, the ICO suggested that all police services across the United Kingdom be mandated to stop using statements or forms of general consent to data sharing, including the Stafford statement, with any personal data obtained pertaining to the victim "must be adequate, relevant, not excessive and pertinent to an investigation," the report said.