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Legal services for women and domestic violence lawyers have called on the Prime Minister to introduce an urgent national summit that would develop a new strategy for preventing violence against women and piloting a specialist violence court.
The calls come with a slew of other recommendations from Women’s Legal Service Queensland to address the national epidemic that is sexual violence that includes a media campaign on consent and implementing all 55 endorsements from the Respect@Work report’s national inquiry into sexual harassment in workplaces.
She added that the current criminal justice system has completely failed women and that low reporting rates – and lower conviction rates – mean sexual violence remains a crime “with little accountability”. She said that this means perpetrators of sexual and domestic violence “have a green light to continue offending”.
Each year, it is estimated that there are between 20,000 and 40,000 rapes and sexual assaults but only 6,5000 charges are laid and 300 findings of guilty and guilty pleas. This equates to a 1.5 per cent conviction rate, “but is likely worse”.
“Despite decades of lobbying there has been no meaningful policy reform on sexual violence, dwindling support for victims in the face of an avalanche of disclosures and sexual violence against women actually seems to be getting worse,” Ms Lynch said.
The legal service has called for the government to review sexual violence laws with an immediate commitment to the new National Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women at a federal, state and territory level. The government should also amend the Family Law Act to remove the presumption of equal shared parental responsibility and emphasis on shared care “that endangers victims of domestic violence”.
The group has also asked that a fund be created for a national victim legal service program for victims that provides lawyers to assist with information and advice on police and court processes, confidentiality issues and counselling notes, victims assist applications and bail applications. It could be delivered through women’s legal services across the country and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander legal services.
Ms Lynch said the government has all the evidence it needs to begin reforms and take a national lead so that more perpetrators are held accountable.
“More and more women are now coming forward to share their stories of surviving violence. Acknowledgement and sympathy only go so far. All governments need to take steps to make our criminal justice system and our society feel safer for women, and it starts with the Prime Minister,” Ms Lynch said.
Naomi Neilson is a senior journalist with a focus on court reporting for Lawyers Weekly.
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