A Suffolk sexual abuse service is helping victims to claim compensation
It's just under a month since the government announced they were removing the three-year time limit on claims.
A specialist support service helping victims of sexual abuse in Suffolk says they're working with victims to claim compensation for their trauma.
On 5 February 2025, the Ministry of Justice announced that the three-year limitation period for compensation claims by victims of child sexual abuse will be removed in England and Wales.
Additionally the Burden of proof will shift from survivors to defendants – protecting victims from reliving trauma
More information can be found here.
It's nearly a month since this was announced but Hannah Walker from Brave Futures tells us she's glad to see legislation that will reduce the stress victims have to face as they will no longer be pressured to make a claim before they are ready or have processed the event.
"Anything that's linked to their experience is traumatic and when we're trying to put a time limit on anything, that's just going to add to that stress and they're again taking away that element of power and control that they've already lost.
"And then you're going to put time restrictions on things and you're dictating when they're ready. And that's just the opposite of what we should be doing.
"... It's a big relief for that to be coming off and for them to have autonomy of choosing when they want to do that."
"This money is tainted"
Although Hannah told us this is a positive step forward, she also explained that receiving compensation can also cause anxiety for the victims.
"Like anything within people that have experienced trauma, there are always complexities and that's no different with them with this compensation because there's a real sense of guilt and sort of a view that this money is very tainted in what they've what they've been through.
"And then this money is received and it can feel transactional and (they can feel) burdened by the weight of this money.
She said they've been helping people to understand these feelings and work through them in a positive way.
"Our advice for them is to sit with those feelings and make sense of them, try and unburden them from any bad feeling around it and get them to e able to gain a bit of clarity and then make informed choices of what they want to do
"And ensuring that they've got a support network around them in that process and for when they receive those funds.
"They gained a sense of freedom with it."
"...What we have seen is when they've applied for it and been successful and they've had time to almost put the money aside.
"The money is there and they've put it to one side and they've not given any more thought and they've had time to process and really consider that money.
"They have then gone on to do incredible things with it. We had a young person who's used it for their driving test.
"So it's almost like they gained a sense of freedom with it.
"So when they can then try and align that money to something really powerful within their lives, it's it's really valuable and really useful."