Sex assault survivor’s traumatic fight for justice during years of delays

A survivor of sexual assault has shared the lengthy and traumatic experience of trying get justice, describing a system with zero compassion that led to her privacy being breached even as the identity of her attacker was protected.

A sexual assault survivor has given an extraordinary account of how traumatic it is to seek justice, saying she has nearly given up multiple times during years of delays, describing a cold and confusing process where her address was accidentally given to another party.

The woman wrote her account for The Courier-Mail in the hope it will encourage others to speak up, amid moves by the Women’s Safety and Justice Taskforce to try to better the system for victims of sexual violence.

“I completely understand why women do not report abusers and I’m still not even at the part where I’m even close to seeing some form of justice,” the woman, who is one of several victims of the same man, wrote.

“I’ve thought about giving up multiple times.

“We all know what the defence is going to try to do to us in the courtroom – discredit us, trip us up, humiliate us.”

A sexual assault survivor has detailed her struggle to gain justice.

Task force chair Margaret McMurdo recently announced they would spend the next six months working on a final report that will analyse the “lived experiences” of women and girls who are survivors of sexual assault and rape.

They have called for women to write in submissions in the hope it will help them recognise how to better the system.

The task force will look at the barriers women face reporting sexual violence and their experiences when they do – including throughout the legal and court process.

In an open letter, the woman told how she has waited nearly three years for her matter to progress through the courts after going to police to report a sexual assault perpetrated by her boss.

“It’s very difficult to have hope for change, just as it is very difficult to have hope for justice, but I will keep going because if even one woman reads this and feels the courage to report then this was all worth it,” she wrote.

The woman said her personal information – including her address – was accidentally provided to another victim, leaving her terrified it might have also been given to her attacker.

She described the process as “cold” and confusing, with countless delays and adjournments as she attempted to prepare for the confronting experience of having to give evidence in court.

“Victims are left in the dark in this system, we are not given enough information – perhaps they forget most of us have never had to interact with this system before, we don’t know how it works,” she wrote.

“There is also zero compassion, where even just a little bit can mean so much.

“Do they understand what it feels like to tell your partner that another man has put his hands on you?”

The woman also said she was devastated that accused sex offenders had their identity protected until the evidence was tested at committal – unlike any other criminal offence – leaving victims to worry if their attacker would harm more women.

“My abuser is afforded protection and privacy by our legal system … how many other women has he crossed the line with during the two years and seven months we’ve been waiting for his name to finally be revealed?

“The imbalance in the system is astounding.”

Women's Safety and Justice Taskforce chair Margaret McMurdo. Picture: Glenn Hampson

The Taskforce’s call for submissions comes after it last year released its report, Hear Her Voice, which examined women and girls’ encounters with domestic violence. The report recommended the criminalisation of coercive control.

Ms McMurdo told The Courier-Mail 87 per cent of women sexually assaulted in Australia did not report the attack to police.

One in eight Australians believe a woman raped while affected by drugs or alcohol was at least partly to blame for the attack, while two in five people agreed women make sexual assault allegations “to get back at men”.

“Each submission – whether from women and girls, organisations or professionals – is read, valued and considered carefully,” Ms McMurdo said.

“Women and girls with lived experience of sexual violence, as well as those with lived experience as accused persons and offenders, together with the organisations and professionals that support them, can make a secure and, if desired, confidential submission through our website.”

The Task force has received a steady stream of submissions from women over the past six weeks.

Submissions close at close of business today, although the Task force will continue to accept general submissions from women with lived experience through its website: www.womenstaskforce.qld.gov.au