Justice shouldn’t hurt: Thousands of Australians join call to make pilot scheme permanent
Thousands of Australians have joined the call for the NSW Attorney General’s Office to expand a pilot program aimed at making child sex crime trials less traumatic.
Today news.com.au exclusively revealed the stories of Rose and Pippa Milthorpe aged 14 and 17 respectively.
The sisters were just 7 and 11 years old when they went to court to testify against their abuser. Both say the trial left them even more traumatized, despite a partial conviction. The perpetrator was convicted of six out of eight charges of indecent assault against Pippa. Those against Rose were eventually fired due to their age.
Justice shouldn’t hurt, but for children in Australia it does. The NSW Government knows how to fix this problem but has failed to do so. That’s why news.com.au is calling for legislation to be reformed to make it easier for victims of child sexual abuse to testify. We need 20,000 signatures today. Join the movement and sign the petition here.
“This story is incomprehensible,” one woman wrote alongside the petition calling for the pilot program on evidence of child sex offenses to be made permanent.
“That these girls have been through so much and still need to petition to get action from our MPs and the judicial system.”
“It’s embarrassing that we’ve gotten to the point as a nation where we even need a petition to get across the border,” said another.
“It is absolutely heartbreaking that this legislation required a petition to change and relied on the victims of this broken system to fix it. Thanks to Rose and Pippa for their courage.”
“Children deserve to be supported and not further traumatized. Your story, no matter how old, matters and should be considered. I’m impressed by the bravery of Rose and Pippa and their family,” commented a third.
Pippa and Rose returned to court and won the right to tell their stories under their real names. They are fighting for the introduction of the Child Sexual Offenses Evidence Pilot Program, which will make it easier for children involved in sex offenses to testify.
In support of the Milthorpe’s journey, news.com.au is launching our exclusive Justice Shouldn’t Hurt campaign and we are calling on NSW Attorney General Mark Speakman to expand the program across NSW.
The petition had more than 15,000 signatures just hours after it was launched, with Australians expressing support for the Milthorpe family’s fight and shocking that systems designed to support victims “further hurt these once innocent children and their families”.
Another wrote that “children need to be heard in a way that doesn’t traumatize them.”
“Children should not be forced to keep those memories at the forefront of their lives by waiting long for exams. Children should be protected from further trauma during the process.”
Others pointed to the “unfairness” of the system, which is currently only available to survivors who fall within the jurisdiction of Newcastle and Downing Center (Sydney) District Courts.
“This is just so unfair to abused children in the countryside and in the region. Fix it,” said one.
We need 20,000 signatures today. Join the movement and sign the petition here.
“Sexually abused children are abused by the abuser, the legal system and eventually NSW country children are abused by the state government by depriving them of the support offered to their city cousins,” commented another.
“Believe me, child sexual abuse is happening all over NSW! Why do rural children continue to be harassed by their government? Proud of you Pippa and Rose!”
“It should be implemented nationally,” wrote a third.
“Every child in this room deserves to be heard and treated in a way that doesn’t cause further trauma. Rose and Pippa – you are both so brave and I hope this is your legacy.”
Another said it was “outrageous” that the NSW government “hasn’t already acted”.
Telling this story involved applying for a court exemption which took several months and cost around $45,000 in legal work covered by news.com.au and the LetUsSpeak campaign, which you can donate to here.
Already 15 experts have joined our call to action, including Former Federal Commissioner for Children Megan Mitchell AM, Bravehearts Founder Hetty Johnston AM, Rape & Sexual Assault Research & Advocacy CEO, Dr. Rachael Burgin, Full Stop Australia CEO, Hayley Foster, current Bravehearts CEO Alison Geale, and Professor Judith Cashmore AO, who evaluated the 2017 pilot program.
In the coming days, we will share the views of experts, academics, survivor advocates, the police and others, all of whom join the call for the program to be permanent.
Originally posted as thousands of Aussies join the call to make the NSW Pilot Scheme permanent
The post Justice shouldn’t hurt: Thousands of Australians join call to make pilot scheme permanent appeared first on Sienna Saint-Cyr.
