THE Oldham Council leader has spoken out after an exclusive investigation by The Oldham Times uncovered the borough’s low rape charge rate.

Sobering figures obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, show that from January to December last year there were 296 reported rapes in Oldham and just three resulted in a suspect being charged – 1.1 per cent.

The figures have prompted calls for an overhaul of how rape cases are dealt with.

Anne Stebbings, the chief executive of Greater Manchester Rape Crisis which supports victims across the region, called the statistics “indicative of the need for a serious overhaul in how rapes cases are handled.”

Oldham’s MPs have joined the calls. Ashton and Failsworth MP and Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner said: “Rape victims deserve better. We need a full system change to ensure that there is proper support for rape victims."

Oldham West and Royton MP Jim McMahon said: “Many survivors feel the system is working against them, not for them, and that is completely the wrong way round.”

Debbie Abrahams, MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth, added: “For too long, victims and their families have too often been overlooked, even ignored.”

Oldham Council's leader Arooj Shaw has now joined the chorus of concern.

Cllr Shah said: “Unfortunately violence against women and girls is far too prevalent in our society and these conviction rates do nothing to reassure women that they are safe or that they will be protected.

“I have personally raised this appalling conviction rate with the Deputy Chief Constable, Terry Woods, and offered Greater Manchester Police any support that we can give to improve the numbers of abusers and rapists convicted and to better support victims and survivors.

“Unfortunately, as a society we must do more to stem the tide of misogyny and abuse aimed at women and girls.

"All too often during my work in the community I hear stories from women about the harassment and abuse they face - from their partners in some horrific cases but also from strangers.

“As leader I’ve tried to spend as much time as possible understanding the issues facing women in our town and working with them to improve their experiences.

"This began with the establishment of a Women’s Taskforce to tackle key issues facing women and girls and has continued with recent work with charities supporting local sex workers.”

The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has admitted that the region’s charge rates are ‘pitifully low’, and the authority’s Gender-Based Violence Board is developing a joint action plan with Greater Manchester Police (GMP) and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to improve GMP’s response and performance.