'We just want to be validated' - abuse survivor

"It was absolutely terrifying because you don't know how long it's going to take, if you're going to be believed." That's how Aimee felt when she first picked up the phone to report her abusive ex-partner to the police.

After she pressed charges, Aimee's ex-partner was eventually sentenced to probation and community service for assaulting and threatening to kill her.

But despite excellent support from the police, getting to the point of a conviction was a "difficult" process for her.

Aimee is one of many people welcoming a review of Jersey's criminal justice system that found more work needs to be done to improve the outcomes for victims of violence against women and girls.

The review by UK Barrister Eleanor Laws KC revealed that many victims of domestic abuse and sexual crimes feel "re-traumatised" by their experiences with the court system.

It is a feeling Aimee can relate to.

She said: "It began by me making a statement which, I mean, that in itself was quite difficult because I knew that was going to be then read to my abuser, and then after that I was told all the evidence and everything has to be gathered and taken to the law office department which can take a number of months.

"I think mine took about eight months, something like that, but I know for others it takes even longer which then sometimes you're left feeling 'is this even worth it, you know, should I should I carry on with this?'"

"You don't know what the outcome is going to be, it might be all for nothing but for that period of time you've just got this in the background, going on, wondering where it's at," she added.

Aimee said she was thankful her abuser pleaded guilty so she didn't have to face a trial.

"In my case it didn't get to that but yeah that was definitely one big worry... I can imagine that's just so traumatising having to have all of that brought up again," she said.

Aimee has particularly welcomed the review's recommendation that all people who work with vulnerable witnesses receive mandatory training, funded by the government.

She said: "It's really important because I feel like women just want to know that they will be validated, that they'll be listened to.

"To have all these professionals having this mandatory training is brilliant and it will hopefully help people to work together to communicate and to recognise when there are issues."

Kate Wright, CEO of Jersey's domestic abuse charity FREEDA, said the review was "another step" to ensuring victims of gender-based violence had better outcomes, both in the courts and in their lives going forward.

However, she highlighted that it was still "just a step".

She said: "It will make the experiences of people going through the criminal courts, the criminal justice system, much smoother.

"It's really important if we want to transform those experiences that we look at culture too, that's commitment, transparency, accountability from those leading those institutions.

"It was really clear from the report that far too many victim survivors, regardless of the outcome of their experience... still come through that process feeling dis-empowered, not listened to, re-traumatised, excluded from the process.

"So that tells us that the system is still not working for far too many victims going through it."

Aimee said despite the challenges of taking her abuser to court, she was "very glad" she went through with it.

She hopes the review will help more women "come forward and have the strength to prosecute".

She said: "I remember a close friend of mine said to me, if you don't go through this, once the attachment to this man has gone, I think you'll be frustrated that you didn't try and get justice for your younger, more vulnerable version of yourself and that really hit home to me.

"If this has helped even one person from not going through something that I have then it's worth it."

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