NWCI welcomed review of the prosecution process in sexual violence cases

Published: Friday, April 13, 2018

NWCI welcomed Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan’s commitment to review the prosecution process in sexual violence cases as an important step on the road to a prosecution process which supports victims of violence against women and which holds perpetrators to account, while respecting the rights of the accused.

Dr Cliona Loughnane, NWCI’s Women’s Health Coordinator said,

“We have heard many women coming forward to share their experiences of the criminal justice system after they have reported a rape. It is clear from many of these testimonies that the prosecution system does not currently support victims as well as it should, nor does it adequately hold perpetrators to account. These are issues that NWCI and our members have been raising for many years now, and NWCI welcomes Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan’s commitment to a review of the prosecution process for sexual violence cases. In particular, NWCI welcomes the review of the legal protection offered to complainants in sexual assault cases, the assessment as to how cases could be dealt with quicker and the commitment to examine whether additional training is required for all those involved in the criminal justice system.”

Read our full comment here.