Understanding Women and Childrens experiences in the justice system

Chief Investigator :
Megan Davis, Director, ILC, University of New South Wales

Research Associate :
Ash Hardman

This project is in response to a growing public focus on Indigenous women and children before the legal system in sexual assault cases. There are two main objectives of this project. The first is to shed some light on the ways in which the Indigenous woman or child, as the victim in sexual assault cases, is constructed in an adversarial legal system. The second, is to interrogate not only concerns about racism in court proceedings but raise awareness of the adversarial nature of the Asutralian legal system as an obstacle to the advancement and protection of the rights of Indigenous peoples under Australian law.

Recent media focus and analysis has shown a need for further community education on this issue, particularly in regards to the silencing of the victim's voice. It is also necessary to further educate both the Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities on the adversarial nature of our legal system which can often distort public debate and stifle law and policy reform.

ILC Research Brief No.1, 2010 Sexual Violence and Indigenous Victims: Women, Children and the Criminal Justice System

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