Victims must be given more legal protection

THE case for legal representation for complainants in cases of sexual violence is overwhelming. If Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan is in any doubt about this, the staff in the Rape Crisis Centre can put him straight with all the information he needs. Victims are currently deterred from bringing charges because they fear being further traumatised in a system that makes no allowances for the unique status of such crime and its devastating impact.

Every effort is rightly made to guarantee a fair trial for the accused. But no supports are in place to protect the complainant; often vulnerable and confused in a barrage of quick-fire cross-examinations, in which the most invasive and intimate questions may be thrown at them.

The Justice Minister has said he is prepared to “review” the legal protection offered to complainants in sexual assault cases. That should not take long, for there isn’t any specifically for the witness. Action, or at least a solid commitment, is the least we might expect; not a vague “we are looking into it” response. If such protection is to be given, this raises other questions: is the Government preparing legislation, has it sought legal advice and will the necessary funding be in place, and if so, when?

For too long, too many women have lived in secret with the scars inflicted on them by sex offenders. They felt they would be devoured in our adversarial legal system and thus were made to feel invisible. The sex offender is the only person who should have reason to fear our courts.