The article about rape complainants dropping out of the justice system (Nearly 70% of rape victims drop out of investigations in England and Wales, 30 May) rightly sets out the appalling difficulties in pursuing prosecution, and the Labour party’s proposed solution to offer free legal advice. All this is good and right, but it fails to mention one patchily provided service to assist people attempting to achieve justice when they have experienced sexual violence. These are independent sexual violence advisers (ISVAs).
The charity of which I am a trustee delivers an ISVA service that provides advice and support throughout disclosure to police, contacts with the Crown Prosecution Service and attendance at court. We believe that many people who may withdraw from the justice system are able to stay the course with our support. However, funding is nowhere nearly sufficient and is often for limited time periods. Delays in the justice system have further burdened this service.
We would advocate that reliable and sufficient funding for ISVAs could make a positive impact on complainants’ experiences and willingness to persist with prosecutions.
Sally Plumb
Rape & Sexual Violence Project
