Most sexual assault survivors and other victims feel ‘silenced and sidelined’ by the justice system, landmark report says.
“When victims report a crime, they expect to play a part in the justice process but in reality, most felt they were silenced and sidelined,” said the commissioner, Fiona McCormack.
Once their case reached the court, almost 75% of the victims surveyed by the VOCC expressed concerns for their safety, mostly due to fear of having to interact with their perpetrator or their families.
One parent told the inquiry she had to sit beside her son’s alleged killer in a court foyer “because there were no separate spaces for victims and their families”.
The inquiry said sexual assault victims faced “some of the most invasive and traumatic aspects of our adversarial trial process”, including cross-examination, applications to access their phone or medical records, and to introduce their sexual history into evidence.
McCormack recommended sexual assault victims be provided with state-funded legal representation during some proceedings, to play a “protective role” for the victim that prosecutors don’t.