The MSP said a total of 589 cases were reported to police over the past 10 years but only 48 reached court and only 20 of those resulted in a conviction. In the period 2006-08, three of the 113 reported cases were prosecuted and none was proved.

Ms Glen said, “Last month, the Scottish Parliament published the new Sexual Offences (Scotland) Bill which will now provide a statutory definition of rape and consent.

“A new legal definition will be very important and is to be wholeheartedly welcomed.

“However, it must be accompanied by a greater obligation to change the sexist attitudes and behaviour of some men in Scotland towards women’s rights such as respect, equality and protection from the myths about women’s sexuality.

“The female victim is not responsible for this horrifying crime.”

Ms. Glen has also asked Mr MacAskill how many Crown Office and procurator fiscal staff in Tayside have now been trained to specialise in the investigation and prosecution of rape and sexual offences.

She added, “It was the Scottish Government’s intention that all such investigations were to be undertaken by specialists by this summer.

“Victims can face traumatic barriers to living through the experience again in court.”

Figures given by Mr MacAskill also show reported rapes in 2008-09 in Tayside fell to their lowest level this century.

From a high of 90 in 2005-06, they fell in the year just past to 54.

Police say the number of people proceeded against is much lower than the number of reported rape cases because prosecutions record only cases where the main charge was rape and do not include convictions for rape where the main charge was murder or each conviction where a person was convicted of more than one rape.

Cases which did not result in convictions were mainly those in which there was insufficient evidence, cases were discontinued by the prosecutor or the accused was acquitted.