Crime, Histoire & Sociétés / Crime, History & Societies, Vol. 8, n°1 | 2009

Victorian female victims of sexual violence often found themselves isolated within the criminaljustice system. No state agency existed to initiate prosecutions for rape or indecent assault thusthe victim or her family had to commence formal proceedings themselves. Drawing onnineteenth century newspaper reports and records from the Rainer Foundation Archive thispaper argues that numbers of female victims benefited from the support offered by certain veryactive voluntary societies in prosecuting such cases. From disesteemed beginnings, caseloadsincreased exponentially as the century progressed and society became more willing both toaccept the fact of sexual violence and its criminalization. The existence and operation of thesesocieties made a very real impact within the criminal justice process and publicly signalling thatmasculine sexual violence was no longer justifiable. Les femmes victimes de violences sexuelles à l’époque victorienne étaient souvent isolées face àla justice pénale. Il n’existait pas d’institution étatique susceptible d’engager les poursuites pourFulfilling Their Mission: The Intervention of Voluntary Societies in Cases of... Crime, Histoire & Sociétés / Crime, History & Societies, Vol. 8, n°1 | 200917