Amanda Williams

“As a result of the abuse and the prolonged legal processes, I have struggled to gain and maintain employment. At the same time, I face significant ongoing expenses for therapy, which is essential to managing prolonged PTSD. The costs associated with unemployment, psychologists, counsellors, healthcare, and medicine have been extraordinary. I have found there is no direct pathway in treating the effects of the abuse and there is very limited assistance or subsidisation in this space. The system places survivors in a particularly difficult position: we experience significant harm, must advocate for ourselves, endure the complexities of the criminal and civil legal systems, and are then left to cope with the long-term consequences alone.”