For many victims of sexual violence, navigating the criminal justice system can be an isolating and re-traumatising experience. A new solution is being proposed which would allow victim-survivors to have an independent lawyer. It's hoped doing so would address low reporting rates.
00:00Laura Rowe vividly remembers how empowered she felt reporting the sexual abuse her brother subjected her to as a child.
00:10I feel like I became a new person that day.
00:13But she quickly found herself powerless as her journey to justice unfolded.
00:18The prosecutor making it clear she was their witness, not their client.
00:23I felt like there wasn't really anyone that I could speak to.
00:28As her brother's trial loomed, Laura hired her own lawyer.
00:32They were able to take the time to sort of explain some of these processes to me.
00:36A new report recommends giving all victims access to an independent government funded lawyer,
00:42arguing it would address low reporting rates of sexual assault and the high number of victims who drop out of the legal process.
00:50Of course they're going to leave that process if there's no one by their side and we expect them to take the stand alone.
00:57Australia lags behind many other countries including Germany, France and Japan where victims are entitled to independent legal representation.
01:06The ACT, Western Australia and Victoria have introduced pilot programs but they're small and very few victims know they exist.
01:15Professor Kirsten Braun is confident the benefits seen overseas would be replicated here.
01:21Victims who are legally represented early on report that they feel more confident about the criminal justice system and that the whole process was a lot more transparent to them.
01:31But Barrister Greg Barnes fears it would complicate the trial process.
01:36If there was somehow an independent advocate, no doubt they would have rights to have a say around various matters and certainly it wouldn't make the process move any quicker.
01:46A solution with risks.
01:48A solution with risks.
01:49A solution with risk.
01:54A solution with risks are sometime need a perfect use in the picking, not internal Stocks
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