Worldwide problem How UK compares to other countries

While the definition of rape can vary widely, conviction rates are largely comparable in Western countries.

Last year in Britain there were 41,150 reported rapes, of which 5,190 went to court, leading to 2,991 successful convictions.

Official figures from the United States show how for every 1,000 rape complaints recorded, only 310 result in a formal report to the police.

Of those, just 57 suspects are arrested and only 11 are brought before the courts. But out of those 11 prosecutions, seven cases will end in a conviction.

In China, which has a population of 1.4 billion, there are less than 40,000 reported rapes each year.

Estimates have suggested that in South Africa there are more than half a million rapes each year, although only about 60,000 are reported to the police.