A TASKFORCE specially designed to target violence against women and girls in Jersey has released its research which paints a picture of the Island as having a “fragmented, male-biased, untouchable system”.
Among its 77 recommendations to government and other agencies, the taskforce has called for an independent review of the Jersey criminal justice system in relation to domestic abuse, rape, and serious sexual assault – and a similar review of the family court system.
The States police have already accepted the recommendations relevant to policing – while the Home Affairs Minister has moved to reassure Islanders that she will “carefully consider” the findings and recommendations, adding that she was committed to securing “dedicated resources” to fund the suggested changes.
TASKFORCE SURVEY STATISTICS
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Almost all general public survey respondents had experienced at least one form of sexual harassment in their lifetime.
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More than three quarters had experienced it in the last 12 months.
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Almost eight out of ten experienced unwanted sexual touching.
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One in four had experienced rape and/or attempted rape in their lifetime.
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Two-thirds of general public survey did not agree that the government takes physical forms of VAWG seriously.
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More than 50 victim-survivors engaged in research and 34 submitted testimonies.
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More than 85% of them had experienced emotional or psychological abuse, and 85% had experienced jealous and/or controlling behaviour.
Assistant Home Affairs Minister Louise Doublet further said the government would “review these recommendations to drive forward as many as we can” while calling on States Members to act and declaring that the publication must be a “watershed moment for Jersey”.
The taskforce – made up of 20 local professionals working in the subject area – found that “gaps” in Jersey’s legislation were “undermining the ability of the criminal justice system to protect victim-survivors or effectively manage perpetrators”.
Non-fatal strangulation, economic abuse and stalking should all be named as specific offences, or clarified within the Domestic Abuse Law (which was only enacted in June), the taskforce recommended.
Some of its specific recommendations for change also included the need to address immigration policies that can worsen the violence experienced by women without five years’ residency, as they often feel they have nowhere else to live.
In instances where these recommendations are not adopted, the taskforce has insisted on a public explanation for this “inaction”, along with alternative proposals, according to a statement released with the report.
Kate Wright, chair of the taskforce, said that the research provided an “opportunity for the Island to reduce violence against women and girls, and if we choose to, become a world leader in eliminating it”.
She said: “The findings of this report are a wake-up call to issues that affect many women and girls and that we can no longer ignore. As a community, we have a moral obligation to address these issues swiftly and decisively. To achieve the aims of the taskforce, it was essential that the voices of women and girls should be at the centre of our work and that these voices were listened to without prejudice.”
While there is no guarantee that the independent reviews of the courts will be carried out, Mrs Wright said: “I really hope that our criminal justice system and our family courts are brave enough to open themselves up to further scrutiny. If we can understand and correct the flaws in our system, then that will bring down many barriers faced by victims and survivors, traumatise them less as they go through that process, and encourage more to come forward by building trust and being accountable.”
She continued: “We need to hold government and key institutions to account, and this is a long-term piece of work. It takes time to change a culture.
“What stood out to me was how pervasive, how common, violence against women and girls still is across our society. It’s such a common feature of the lives of most women and girls that it’s simply the wallpaper. Our UK-based independent researcher described Jersey as a fragmented, male-biased, untouchable system.”
The Home Affairs Minister is supportive of a continued taskforce, Mrs Wright added.
In a statement at the public announcement yesterday, Home Affairs Minister Helen Miles said “we will carefully consider these findings and the 77 recommendations”.
She added: “Our focus will be to understand how we can implement meaningful, effective and long-lasting cultural change.
“This will require a significant shift in community attitudes towards women, substantial efforts to improve understanding and recognition of this violence, the development of transparency and accountability mechanisms, and potentially radical change to the way systems currently respond to this problem.
“Some of these changes will require dedicated resource and investment and I undertake to source those resources.
“I am committed to creating a safe and supportive environment for all women and girls in Jersey and I shall now take the necessary time to carefully review the recommendations to ensure that future action makes a positive difference to the lives of Islanders.”
