White Ribbon Day: A lot of work to do

White Ribbon Day is a timely reminder to all New Zealanders that when it comes to sexual violence there is a lot of work to do says Human Rights Commissioner Jackie Blue.

“Many victims of sexual violence are failed by the current system and I welcome Justice Minister Amy Adams request that the Law Commission re-start and prioritise this piece of work,” said Dr Blue.

At present only 10 out of 100 sexual assaults are reported to Police and of those 10 only three make it to Court and only one results in a conviction

“Only 1% of sexual assaults results in a conviction: 99 % of offenders are in the community and getting away with it,” said Dr Blue.

“The Roastbusters case is a prime example of where despite the public outrage, a prosecution did not result .

"The current system is not working for victims of sexual assault.

“We need a system change that looks into alternative pre-trial and trial processes in sexual violence cases, and the traumatic impact they can have on complainants.”

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