The National Centre is encouraged to see today’s announcement of an Inquiry into justice responses for victims and survivors of sexual violence by the Australian Government. Undertaken by the Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) the Inquiry will look at how victims’ and survivors’ experiences in the justice system can be improved by examining relevant laws and legal frameworks, justice sector practices, supports for victims and survivors, and transformative approaches to justice. The National Centre is especially pleased by the embedding of a lived-experience Expert Advisory Group to guide and inform the Inquiry process.
The Inquiry is a critical step towards improving access to justice for victims and survivors of sexual violence and a key initiative of the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032. The National Centre calls on the ALRC to ensure that the needs and voices of children and young people are appropriately heard and inform the Inquiry. Further, the Inquiry offers an important opportunity to consolidate the criminal justice recommendations made by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in 2017 that remain outstanding, such as the use of character evidence and harmonisation of laws across different jurisdictions.
Speaking on behalf of the National Centre, CEO, Dr Leanne Beagley said:
“Whilst we welcome this important Inquiry, we also call for a specific focus on the developmental needs and the voices of both children and young people, especially those in contact with the justice system who have an experience of child sexual abuse. Consideration must also be given to the secondary impacts when family members are incarcerated, the compendium of sexual and violent offences that can occur within families, and the ongoing impact of complex trauma across the lifespan. We also cannot ignore that power differentials are at their greatest when victims in childhood proceed through the criminal justice system against adult defendants. It is vital their voices are included in this Inquiry. Too often the specific experiences of children and young people are excluded, and their voices are inadvertently hidden and therefore silenced.”
