My autistic child survived sexual assault.

She then found the courage to do everything that was asked of her.

She reported what happened.

She relived her trauma.

She participated in a justice process that was supposed to protect her.

Instead, our family was left feeling unheard, misunderstood and failed.

As a parent, one of the hardest things to accept was watching my child find the courage to speak about the most traumatic experience of her life, only to feel that the very vulnerabilities that should have protected her were not always fully understood.

My daughter is autistic.

Autism affects communication, emotional expression, processing, and responses to stress and trauma.

It does not affect the truth.

Yet throughout the justice process, we were repeatedly confronted with a reality that many other families have experienced too: trauma and autism are still too often misunderstood.

When a child or adult is sexually assaulted, the justice system should protect them.

Too often, it makes everything worse.

Victims are traumatised twice — first by the offence itself, and then by a system that can leave them feeling scrutinised, doubted, and responsible for proving the impact of what happened to them.

In court, trauma responses are misunderstood, questioned, and too often used against victims.

People who have already experienced harm are made to feel like they are the ones on trial.

Many victims of sexual assault do not scream, fight, or verbally resist.

They may freeze.

They may shut down.

They may comply.

They may not immediately process what has happened.

They may not react in ways that people expect.

These are all recognised trauma responses.

They are not signs of consent.

They are not signs that a crime did not occur.

They are responses to fear.

Yet victims are still too often challenged on these behaviours instead of being protected.

For autistic victims, these failures can be even more severe.

Autism affects communication, social interaction, processing speed, emotional regulation, and responses to fear and distress.

Autistic children and vulnerable individuals are often expected to communicate in ways that do not reflect how their brains process trauma.

Instead of receiving understanding and protection, many are left feeling confused, overwhelmed, scrutinised, and responsible for proving the impact of what happened to them.

This is not justice.

This is re-traumatisation.

At the same time, courts are capable of recognising vulnerability, developmental concerns, and additional needs when assessing defendants and their ability to understand proceedings, communicate effectively, or fully appreciate the consequences of their actions.

That recognition is important.

But vulnerable victims are not always given the same understanding.

This creates a serious imbalance within the justice system.

If vulnerability can and should be recognised when assessing defendants, then it must also be fully recognised when protecting victims — especially autistic children and vulnerable witnesses who are being asked to relive serious trauma in court.

Children and young people absolutely need safeguarding, education, and support around consent, boundaries, and harmful behaviour.

But when serious offences occur, accountability and protection for victims cannot simply disappear.

If a child is considered too vulnerable or immature to fully understand consent or the impact of their actions, then serious questions must also be asked about safeguarding, intervention, supervision, and how those risks were missed before another child was harmed.

Victims should never be left carrying lifelong trauma while responsibility is continually shifted away from those who had opportunities to intervene and protect children before harm occurred.

Section 28 pre-recorded evidence was introduced to support vulnerable victims.

While well-intentioned, it is not always working effectively in practice.

For autistic individuals in particular, important emotional context, communication differences, and trauma responses can be lost.

Without specialist expertise, behaviours linked to autism and trauma can be misunderstood.

This can lead to misunderstanding, reduced credibility, and further injustice.

UK law already recognises that victims — including autistic individuals — are entitled to protection.

The Equality Act 2010 requires reasonable adjustments.

The Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 provides special measures for vulnerable witnesses.

The Victims' Code guarantees dignity, respect, and support.

Yet too many families continue to feel that these protections are not consistently applied in practice.

This must change.

We need reform to ensure all victims of sexual assault are protected — and that autistic victims receive the specialist understanding they require.

We are calling for:

• Trauma responses to never be used against victims in court.

• Specialist expertise in autism and trauma to be available where needed.

• Judges, juries, and legal professionals to receive proper training on trauma and neurodivergence.

• Greater consideration to be given to how cases involving vulnerable victims are heard.

• Court processes to become more trauma-informed and sensitive to autism and other neurodivergent conditions.

• Better safeguarding, intervention, and accountability measures where serious offences are committed by children and young people.

Sexual assault is a serious crime.

Victims deserve protection, not further harm.

Autistic children deserve understanding, not misunderstanding.

Autism affects reactions — not the truth.

The justice system may have failed my child.

Please help us ensure it does not fail others.