Women are receiving rough justice from a "man-made" criminal justice system which penalises female victims, offenders and workers, according to a report to be launched by Cherie Booth QC, the prime minister's wife, today.

The year-long Fawcett Society's commission on women and the criminal justice system finds that women who have been attacked face a "postcode lottery" of services when coming forward, with just 5% of recorded cases of domestic violence and less than 6% of reported rapes ending in convictions.