Closed petition Introduce reforms to better support victims of sexual assault and domestic abuse

Closed on 4 April 2022

Victims of abuse need their own statutory code of practice in addition to the Victims Code, which outlines our rights and expectations of every police force to adhere to the same standard of empathy, accountability and consistency in their investigations of sexual offences and domestic violence.

Compared to other crimes, victims of sexual assault and domestic abuse have a disproportionately lower chance of receiving justice coupled with a higher vulnerability to victim blaming and discrimination.

Alongside a code, we propose the creation of new roles called Equal Justice Advocates. Whereas the ISVAs and IDVAs provide emotional support, the EJA's role would be to monitor the progress of the case, observe police conduct and report any breaches of the code to The Victims Commissioner.