Resources

SLAPPs (Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation)

The Gemini Project worked with Good Law Project to produce guides for survivors and Independent Sexual Violence Advocates (ISVAs) to help support survivors of sexual violence to tell their story. The guides explain how survivors can minimise the legal risks of speaking out and what they should do if they receive a legal letter from their abuser or abuser’s lawyer.

You can find them here:

For more detailed information on defamation and civil litigation, we recommend reading the Centre for Women’s Justice document ‘Frequently Asked Questions on Defamation and Civil Claims Against Perpetrators for Survivors of Sexual Violence‘.

Reporting, your rights, and the Criminal Justice System

If you are considering reporting the abuse you have survived to the Police and would like to know more, or have already reported and are wondering what to expect next, we have created the documents below, which briefly outline what to expect at each stage of the Criminal Justice System Process. It is by no means extensive and is intended to give a general overview.

  • If you are going through the process without advocacy support: click here.
  • If you are going through the process with ISVA support: click here.

For more detailed information, Rights of Women have produced guides which explain what to expect when reporting to police, your rights at a glance and the process from report to court.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) have easy read victim-survivor guides available here.

For information on the Victims Code of Practice and your rights, the government have produced a short guide, here.

No Further Action decisions, complaints, and the Victims’ Right to Review scheme

If you have received a No Further Action (NFA) decision from the Police or CPS and are considering requesting your right to have the decision reviewed under the Victims’ Right to Review (VRR) scheme:

  • Rights of Women have produced a guide to the VRR scheme, here.

If you wish to make a complaint about the Police, the IOPC have produced a guide, here. For more information on submitting a complaint about the CPS see here.

What to expect if your case is going to court

If your case has been charged and is going to be heard in a court, your ISVA (or other support advocate) will be able to talk you through what to expect, how to claim expenses, ensure you have any special measures in place and arrange for you to attend a court familiarisation visit.

The Ministry of Justice have produced a short guide about going to court, here.

The CPS have produced a video of what to expect at trial as well as information on who is who in a courtroom, here.

For more information on Victim Personal Statements (VPS), Victim Support have put together a video and some brief information, here.

Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme (CICA)

As a victim of crime you are entitled to apply to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme (CICA), for information on the scheme visit the government website and read their guide, here.

Survivors UK also have a guide to the scheme, produced by the solicitors’ firm Bolt Burdon Kemp, here.

Rights of Women’s guide to CICA can be found, here.

Understanding your self, memory and trauma

Self-help guides may help you to understand your experience(s) of sexual abuse. Women & Girls Network and London Survivors Gateway have produced a self-care resource guide, here.

The Havens have also produced a self-help guide, here.

For information on sexual intimacy after sexual violence, a Sexual Assault Crisis Centre in Ontario, Canada adapted information from Wendy Maltz’s book ‘The Sexual Healing Journey: A Guide for Survivors of Sexual Abuse (2001)’ into a short guide, here.

For information on trauma and memory, Greater Manchester Rape Crisis have produced a short video, here.

Rape Crisis England and Wales challenge societal myths around sex offences, here.

Specialist support services

For more information and signposting to specialist support services, visit our ‘Get Help’ page: here.