A timeline of change

Sexual Offences Act 1967 decriminalises homosexual acts between two men over the age of 21, in private

Women’s Aid is founded

Rape Crisis Scotland opens in Glasgow

The United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination against Women is adopted and defines how member states should define and act to stop discrimination against women

A documentary which shows the brutal interrogation of a rape victim leads to major changes in the way individuals are interviewed by the police [3]

The maximum sentence for attempted rape is increased from 7 years to life

The first Sexual Assault Referral Centre in England and Wales was established

Section 28 of the Local Government Act’ prohibits the promotion of homosexuality’ by local authorities and remains enforceable until 2003

Marital rape is criminalised in response to the case of R v R 

Age of consent for gay men reduced to 18 years old

SurvivorsUK open a helpline for men, which ran until 1999

The Sex Offenders Register is created

Legislation bans anyone accused of a sexual offence from cross-examining their victims in court

Age of consent for gay/bi men lowered to 16 years old

The Female Genital Mutilation Act is introduced

The End Violence Against Women coalition was formed, a leading coalition of specialist women’s support services, researchers, activists, survivors and Non Government Organisations working to end violence against women and girls [5]

Section 14 of the Policing and Crime Act 2009 introduces the offence of ‘paying for the sexual services of a prostitute subjected to force’

An independent review by Baroness Stern is published which explores the treatment of rape complaints by public authorities

The Equality Act 2010 is introduced

#banrapeporn campaign began to criminalise the possession of pornography depicting rape [6]

A case is considered at court where a woman pretended to be a boy meaning that her partner did not have the ‘freedom and capacity’ to consent which resulted in an offence under the Sexual Offences Act

Operation Stovewood begins in response to a report which found at least 1,400 children in Rotherham were the victims of abuse between 1997 and 2013

A freedom of information request demonstrates that 4,000 alleged physical sexual assaults and more than 600 rapes in schools had been reported to the police in the preceding 3 years [7]

Pornography depicting rape and revenge porn are criminalised

A statutory inquiry for England and Wales is established [9] because of serious concerns that some organisations had failed, and were continuing to fail, to protect children from sexual abuse

Disabled Survivors Unite is established to create change for disabled survivors of abuse and sexual violence

The New York Times publish a story about allegations of sexual harassment against Harvey Weinsten

The #metoo movement gains popularity [12]

Victims of sexual offences are able to give evidence by pre-recorded video

An urgent review of all current rape and serious sexual assault cases is announced by the Director of Public Prosecutions

The report ‘The decriminalisation of rape: Why the justice system is failing rape survivors and needs to change’ is published by The Centre for Women’s Justice, End Violence Against Women, imkaan and Rape Crisis England and Wales

The research report ‘Review into the Criminal Justice System response to adults rape and serious sexual offences across England and Wales’ is published

Following the abduction, rape and murder of Sarah Everard by Wayne Couzens a police officer, and independent enquiry into policing is announced by the Home Secretary