Every victim of rape should be offered the support of a specialist adviser to help them through the criminal justice system, a landmark review has recommended.
Hundreds of independent workers would help those whose lives have been torn apart by sexual violence make sense of the police inquiry and the prosecution of those responsible.
Baroness Stern said that independent sexual violence advisers, a post being piloted in some areas, provide a key link between the victim and police, prosecutors and charity groups.
The cross-bench peer also called for every police force to have at least one sexual assault referral centre by next year.
Speaking at the launch of her review, Baroness Stern said her work focused on turning policy into "action on the ground."
She was tasked with undertaking an independent review into the way rape is handled by public authorities in England and Wales, from complaint to the verdict of a court.
The five-month investigation resulted in a series of recommendations including calls for more women doctors and the NHS to take over responsibility for the forensic medical examination of sex-attack victims from police forces.
The government must also stop the erroneous reduction of compensation to rape victims because they have been drinking, have previous convictions or did not report the attack immediately.
Baroness Stern said that ministers should report to Parliament every year on their progress in improving the treatment of rape victims.
Human rights group Amnesty International UK director Kate Allen welcomed the report, but stressed the need for preventative measures to stop so many rapes being committed in the first place.
According to the latest British Crime Survey, one in every 24 women aged over 16 will suffer an attempted rape or rape in their lifetime.
Ms Allen said: "If we're serious about tackling rape and violence against women, we can't do it on the cheap.
"We need proper funding, particularly for the vital specialist women's sector organisations that are crucial not only to improving a victim's experience but to driving up conviction rates."
The Stern review comes amid huge pressure on police and prosecutors to catch more rapists and sex attackers while improving the treatment of victims.
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