Four survivors held a press conference advocating for judicial reform to ban the use of counselling notes and character references in gender-based violence cases. The survivors recounted their traumatic experiences within the justice system, emphasizing the damaging impact on victims. Paula Doyle articulated her distress over the court's intrusion into her personal counselling notes, while Natasha O'Brien and others called for a genuine victim-centered approach. The group plans to protest on International Women's Day to further raise awareness and push for necessary changes in the judicial process.
"In 2019, I was raped. My personal experience of getting to trial in this country felt inhumane and incomprehensible. There is no chance of recovery for a victim with obstacles, adjournments, excuses, silences and personal intrusions."
"My private counselling notes were requested by the DPP five months prior to my initial trial date. These are supposed to be confidential, extremely distressing personal notes to be read and scrutinised by both prosecuting and defensive teams for any shred of information that could be used against me, a victim of rape?"
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