'More work needed' to help female violence victims

More work needs to be done to further improve outcomes for victims of violence against women and girls in Jersey, an independent review has said.

Conducted by UK Barrister Eleanor Laws KC, it looked at the criminal justice system's response and management of domestic abuse, rape and other sexual assault cases.

Laws made 19 recommendations in a report, including permitting victim-survivors to read personal statements at sentencing hearings.

Bailiff of Jersey Robert MacRae welcomed the findings of the Publications Laws Review, but added: "Nonetheless, there is more work to be done to further improve outcomes for victims of violence against women and girls."

Laws said the relevant Jersey criminal justice legislation had been the "subject of substantial and successful reform which provides a strong foundation for the investigation, prosecution and trial of criminal offences".

A report published by the Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) taskforce in 2023 made 77 recommendations for actions across the States of Jersey and other stakeholders.

The government said 36 of the 77 had been met.

Laws said a vast majority of victim-survivors who she had interviewed spoke positively of their interactions with prosecution advocates, but many "often felt in limbo" once their evidence was completed.

"The absence of a short follow-up meeting with the advocate was an indication that they had done something wrong or that their evidence had been inadequate," she said.

She added this often led to victim-survivors feeling "unimportant and disengaged from the process".

She recommended prosecution advocates get the chance to meet complainants immediately after they give their evidence to acknowledge they had done this, thank them, and remind them of the next steps.

Recommendations included the police giving a complainant a single point of contact throughout their interaction with the justice system.

Victims should also be permitted to read out personal statements at a sentencing hearing.

The Royal Court said any victim-survivor who wanted to read a statement could do so from behind a screen, remotely or in a pre-recording, without risk of cross examination.

Other recommendations included mandatory training, funded by the government, for professionals working with vulnerable people, to be completed every three years.

Laws said many victims-survivors, including those she interviewed, had reported feeling "re-traumatised" by their experiences.

Justice and Home Affairs Minister Mary Le Hegarat welcomed the independent review.

She said: "It is essential that the journey of victim-survivors, as they navigate the criminal justice system, is as easy as possible, bearing in mind their vulnerability."

States of Jersey Police said it welcomed the review's publication and fully endorsed its recommendations.

The review recognised the "significant progress" made by police, prosecutors and support services in recent years, the force said.

Follow BBC Jersey on X and Facebook. Send your story ideas to [email protected].