The Victims’ Code is a document setting out what every victim/survivor of any crime can expect from the criminal justice system.
The government has drafted a new Victims’ Code and wants to hear views on how clear and supportive it is, via a public consultation.
Informed by survivors of sexual violence and abuse
Rape Crisis England & Wales (RCEW) will be responding to the government consultation, and would like to ensure that our response is informed by survivors of sexual violence and abuse who have experience of the criminal justice system.
We have also been provided with some funding from the Ministry of Justice to hold consultation sessions with survivors of sexual violence. We will share the findings of these sessions with the Ministry of Justice, with all identifying information anonymised.
About the sessions
We will be holding two consultation sessions:
- For survivors of adult sexual violence and abuse, on Tuesday 24th March, 10-11.30am.
- For survivors of child sexual abuse (who are now aged 18+), on Tuesday 24th March, 2-3.30pm.
Each consultation session will last 1.5 hours, and will be held on Microsoft Teams. The session will be facilitated by RCEW’s Policy and Public Affairs Officer Kate Garner and Policy & Media Officer, Maria Fsadni.
We are inviting up to 8 survivors to attend each online session.
What to expect
A fuller summary of the discussion points will be provided in advance, however the discussion will include your views on:
- How your needs as a survivor of sexual violence could be better met by criminal justice agencies, at each stage of the criminal justice system.
- How criminal justice agencies could better engage with child victim-survivors.
- How criminal justice agencies could better communicate information to you, at every stage of the process.
Get involved
To participate in either RCEW consultation session, we ask that you:
- Are aged 18+
- Have previously reported a sexual offence to the police and therefore have experience of the criminal justice system. (We are particularly keen to hear from survivors whose cases went to court, but welcome survivors with any experience of the criminal justice system).
To register your interest, please complete the relevant form
- Session 1 (for survivors of adult sexual violence and abuse – i.e. you experienced sexual violence and abuse as an adult – who have experience of the criminal justice system) on Tuesday 24th March, 10-11.30am – SPACES NOW FILLED.
- Session 2 (for survivors of childhood sexual abuse, who are now aged 18+ and who have experience of the criminal justice system) on Tuesday 24th March, 2-3.30pm – SPACES NOW FILLED.
Please note:
- We will be offering spaces on a first come, first served basis. Therefore the registration forms will close once 8 participants have registered for each session, or at 5pm Monday 16th March – whichever comes first.
- Consultation sessions are open to all survivors of sexual violence and abuse, regardless of gender or other protected characteristics.
What happens next?
A member of the RCEW Policy & Public Affairs team will be in touch in the week commencing 16th March with further information, and to confirm details of the consultation session.
RCEW are offering each attendee a £20 One4All gift card to say thank you for your time and expertise. Please note that this gift will unfortunately count as income for those who receive state benefits.
Further questions
If you have any questions, or would like to discuss further before registering, please contact policy@rapecrisis.org.uk
For information on how your personal data will be processed, please see our privacy notice https://rapecrisis.org.uk/privacy-statement/