Norfolk charity warn court delays mean domestic abuse victims won't come forwards
Court delays created by the pandemic are being lengthened further by the on-going barristers strike
A Norfolk charity is warning that some local domestic abuse victims won't bring their cases forwards, with court delays being lengthened further by the on-going barristers strike.
They are also calling on the government to prioritise domestic abuse cases already delayed by the pandemic- and for a solution to the strikes soon.
Our legal system is already facing a backlog of nearly 60 thousand, across the country- and members of the Criminal Bar Association are taking industrial action in a dispute over pay.
"They may now not come forward at all"
Rhys Lloyd is from the domestic abuse group, Leeway.
He told us that justice has to be done- for other victims to follow. Fearing there could be grave consequences- if there isn't a permanent solution soon:
"That's one way you're going to get people to come forward, if they see that domestic abuse cases are being heard and that people are being held accountable for their actions. That's a really big step to getting people thinking, 'actually, it might be worth me coming forwards with this".
"It could mean that some are not held accountable for their horrendous actions. It's really important in the short-term for victims in their own right. But, it's also important for people who are looking at coming forward in the near future. They may now not come forward at all, because they may think the response to domestic abuse is inadequate".
"It's naturally a challenge to try and persuade people when there's so much going against them"
Mr Lloyd went on to say that it's hard enough to convince victims they need to take things further, in normal circumstances:
"It's always difficult to get people to engage with the core process anyway. For people who are experiencing domestic abuse, it's always quite a daunting feeling to go through that situation anyway- it's naturally a challenge to try and persuade people when there's so much going against them".
What have the Government said about all this?
The Government say their pay offer to barristers is fair and their decision to strike will only delay victims justice further.