#LetHerSpeak: Victims as Catalysts for Law Reform in Sexual Assault Trials

Despite significant attempts at reforming sexual assault prosecutions in jurisdictions around the world, victims remain reticent to access their justice systems. This article seeks to understand why recent law reform has not been more successful in encouraging sexual assault victims to come forward. The author argues that a traditional approach to reforming the criminal justice system is maladroit. Rather than face a process that systematically traumatises them again, victims are choosing to congregate online to obtain some sense of justice. The author highlights the advantages for law reformers in engaging with the advocates of these highly organised groups of online sexual assault victims. These online advocates’ novel approach to law reform has resulted in Australian law reformers taking meaningful action to improve sexual assault prosecutions. This new approach promises to produce genuine progress in improving access to justice for victims of sexual assault.