Sexual violence is common, but highly under-reported. When survivors engage with the justice system – whether civil or criminal – it can be a confronting and disempowering experience. Too often the burden is on survivors to navigate a complex system that fails them by compounding trauma and making recovery more difficult.

That’s why SASVic and Family Safety Victoria are proud to be working on a Justice Navigator pilot in Victoria.

The initiative is the first of its kind in Australia. Building on recommendations from the Victorian Law Reform Commission Report in 2021, and modelled on longstanding independent sexual violence adviser (ISVA) roles in England and Wales, Justice Navigators will be embedded in Victorian specialist sexual assault services and will:

• support survivors to understand and exercise their rights

• assist survivors to and navigate all the support, compensation, justice, and recovery options available to them

• be free and available to survivors for as long as support is needed

• not require a survivor to report to police before accessing support

• provide support and information to secondary victims such as children, friends and family members

• complement and be integrated with existing legal supports and services in Victoria

• build the capacity of other professionals and sectors to work with and advocate for survivors.

Ultimately, we hope that Justice Navigators will improve justice outcomes for survivors and become a permanent feature of the specialist sexual assault sector across Victoria and beyond.

We are currently in the early stages of the co-design phase of the pilot project. This page will be updated with new information as the pilot progresses. Please contact the Project Lead Penny Drysdale at Justice.Navigators@sasvic.org.au if you require further information.