Help STOP sex offenders from reading their victims counselling notes
Because you signed the Justice Shouldn't Hurt petition, we wanted to reach out and let you know about our NEW CAMPAIGN for child sexual abuse survivors, which you might be interested in supporting.
Across Australia, most people assume that speaking to a sexual assault counsellor would be confidential. But this is not always the case.
If a matter goes to Court, the defendant’s lawyers can issue a subpoena for the victim’s private and confidential counselling files. This includes access to highly sensitive counselling notes, voice recordings, and even full video recording of counselling sessions.
Once defence lawyers have those files, they often use the content to humiliate, re-victimise and retraumatise the survivor on the stand.
Survivors have told us they wouldn’t necessarily want their best friend reading their highly personal counselling notes, let alone their rapist. Once the breach of privacy happens many survivors stop going to counselling, and can lose all faith in mental health services right at a time when they need those services most. Others withdraw from the criminal justice process altogether.
That’s why we have started the Don’t Subpoena Our Support: Keep Counselling Confidential campaign.
Click here to sign our new petition
We believe all survivors of sexual abuse should be able to safely access counselling without fear of their offender ever eavesdropping in on the conversation. We believe our legal system must restore confidence in vital counselling services by stopping offenders and their lawyers from accessing these confidential files. That's why we are calling for law reform to strengthen protections.
To win this reform, we need to keep building pressure.
More than 13,000 people have already signed our petition. The next step is growing that number even further so decision-makers can’t ignore it.
Can you help by signing and sharing the petition today?
Send it to friends, family, or colleagues, or post it on your social media.
Or share the link directly: https://www.megaphone.org.au/petitions/don-t-subpoena-our-support-keep-counselling-confidential
Every new signature increases the pressure and brings us closer to ensuring survivors can access counselling without fear their private conversations could be used against them.
Thanks again for your support.Nina Funnell
(Creator of #JusticeShouldntHurt and #KeepCounsellingConfidential petitions)