Victims & Witnesses of Crime Court Support
- janine1033
- 5 days ago
- 2 min read
Appearing in court as a victim or a witness of crime can be incredibly scary. You might feel confused, alone and overwhelmed by the whole process.
Tragically, Indigenous Australians experience violent victimisation at much higher rates compared non-Indigenous Australians. For example:
Indigenous women were a staggering 33 times more likely to be hospitalised due to family violence compared to non-Indigenous women
Indigenous Australians experience violent victimisation at much higher rates than non-Indigenous Australians, often two to three times more
For Indigenous women, the likelihood of experiencing family violence ranges from 3.7 to 9.6 times higher than Indigenous men*
These experiences often result in First Nations people engaging with the court system as a victim or witness of a crime, and therefore it is essential support services are there to help individuals during these stressful periods.
On Friday the 15th of August, Paul and Janine attended NSW Parliament House to deliver a Cultural Awareness Training to Victims & Witness of Crime Court Support (VWCCS) volunteers.
VWCCS is a free service and makes the process of appearing in court as a victim or witness feel more safe and comfortable. They are there for you during your time at Court.
Their role is to be at court, with the victims or witnesses of crime who have been required to attend court. Their business goal is to prepare and support their clients throughout criminal hearings so that the best outcome can be achieved for both them and the prosecution.
VWCCS has a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), their volunteers have participated in cultural awareness training and they are motivated to be a service that is responsive and culturally safe for First Nations Peoples.
VWCCS are located in Sydney CBD, Parramatta, and Newcastle.
VWCCS welcomes First Nations volunteers. To find out more about VWCCS's services or how to volunteer please visit their website vwccs.org.au.
*Information sourced from Australian Government, Australian Institute of Criminology, Risk factors in Indigenous Violent Victimisation.
