Victims of sexual violence to get additional support
Saturday 17 October 2009, 9:31AM
By Simon Power
204 views
Victims of sexual violence will receive additional assistance thanks to initiatives for victims of serious crime announced today by Justice Minister Simon Power.
Two of the eight initiatives, to be funded from Offender Levy revenue, focus on victims of sexual violence.
"It is well known that participation in the criminal justice system is a painful and traumatic process for many victims of sexual violence," Mr Power said.
"Because of that experience, many of those victims withdraw from proceedings or avoid the criminal justice system altogether. We must do our best to avoid that."
The first initiative will provide enhanced court support for victims of sexual violence.
"The sexual violence court support service will give victims of sexual violence access to a trained and experienced victim adviser who understands the dynamics of sexual violence and the needs of victims of sex offences."
The service will be introduced gradually from July 2010, with an evaluation over the first two years to ensure the service is effectively meeting the needs of victims of sexual violence. The service, which will consist of 18 specialist victim advisors based in courts across the country, will be fully implemented by mid 2012.
"In order to offer victims continuity of care throughout the social, health, and criminal justice sectors, the sexual violence court support service will work in close partnership with other agencies and organisations offering support and services to victims of sexual violence."
The second initiative is a discretionary grant for victims of sexual violence.
"Recent work undertaken by the Taskforce for Action on Sexual Violence and by non-government organisations with experience in working with victims has emphasised the need for financial assistance for victims of sexual violence," Mr Power said.
The grant will contribute up to $250 to the cost of one-off expenses incurred as a result of sexual violence, such as replacing items of clothing collected for forensic evidence. Victim Support will administer the scheme, which has been allocated $500,000 per year.
The initiative will be implemented in January 2010.