Peterborough Women's Aid says specialist courts could make justice less daunting for survivors
Changes to rape and serious sexual offence cases could encourage more women to seek support and justice
A domestic abuse support group in Peterborough believes specialist courts for serious sexual offences will help more survivors to come forward.
Every Crown Court will have at least one courtroom dedicated to hearing such cases set up in the next two years, officials said.
Victims will be offered a private entrance and private waiting room to keep them away from the defendant, which they already have a right to request but currently depends upon availability.
Court staff will also be given “trauma-informed training” with a single person of contact assigned to each survivor as part of the package of measures are expected to cost around £23 million from the Ministry of Justice budget.
From October, trials will be given a fixed date rather than placed on floating lists in what the Prime Minister described as an effort to “rebalance the scales of justice and put victims first.”
At the moment, survivors can face months or years waiting for their case to reach court, according to Mandy Geraghty, chief executive of Peterborough Women’s Aid.
She says the justice system can feel “overwhelming, frightening and re-traumatising” for people who have experienced rape or sexual assault.
“Going to court can be so scary,” Mandy said.
“The thought of seeing the perpetrator in itself can be so traumatising that a lot of women will not go to court or go through the criminal justice system because of this.”