, Labour’s Shadow Solicitor General,
responding to the Victims Commissioner review of the provision of
special measures to vulnerable and intimidated witnesses, said:
“With record numbers of rape victims withdrawing from
prosecutions, and the court backlog now at over 58,000 cases.
Many survivors feel the system is working against them, not for
them.
“Giving witness testimony for some victims can be extremely
upsetting and traumatising. That is why Labour called for the
fast tracking of rape cases through our courts in our Survivors’
Support Plan and in our Ending Violence Against Women and Girls
Green Paper that was published this week.
“We welcome the Victims Commissioners echoing of our
recommendation, and hope that the Justice Secretary commits to
fully rolling out these special measures in all of our crown
courts for victims of rape and serious sexual assault as Labour
have long been calling for”.
Ends
Notes to Editors
1. In today’s review
from the Victims Commissioner this review explores the current
provision of special measures, from the initial assessment of
witnesses’ needs all the way to trial.
2. Drawing on testimony from criminal justice professionals and
victim support services, it outlines victims’ and witness’ wider
experiences of court and special measures, including during
Covid, and makes 21 recommendations on how to improve the
provision of special measures and address barriers to access.
3. One of the key recommendations from the Victims Commissioner
was:
Recommendation 16: HMCTS introduces s28 for intimidated as well
as vulnerable witnesses across Crown Courts as soon as
practically possibly. In due course, consideration should be
given to offering it more widely, especially when trial dates are
a long time in the future. (19 May 2021 https://victimscommissioner.org.uk/published-reviews/next-steps-for-special-measures/_)
4. “Rape and serious sexual assault cases should be fast-tracked
through courts, Labour says, The Independent 14 March
2021”https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/labour-rape-convictions-court-reforms-b1817031.html
In March 2021 Labour set out its survivors support plan, which
set out its recommendations to improve RASSO victims experience
of the criminal justice system. Labour’s Survivors' Support Plan
rape shadow rape review recommendations include:
1. Fast-tracking rape and serious sexual assault cases through
the police, Crown Prosecution Service and the courts
2. Appointing a Minister for Survivors of Rape and Sexual
Violence to investigate and tackle the root causes of delays in
the system, and act as a champion for victims
3. Establishing a pre and post-trial survivor’s support package,
including a full legal advocacy scheme for victims and better
training for professionals around myths and stereotypes.
5. This week, Labour has published a detailed Green Paper on how
to end the epidemic of violence against women and girls.
Introducing a survivor support package to improve victims’
experience in the courts, including fast tracking rape and sexual
violence cases, legal help for victims and better training for
professionals to give people the help they need. https://labour.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Ending-Violence-Against-Women-and-Girls-Green-Paper.pdf
