Normally one of the key elements of making a claim with VOCAT is ensuring you have reported the incident in a timely manner. In the case of sexual assault and family violence, where the victim may be living in the house with perpetrator the timely reporting may not be as critical.
For example, if the person committing the sexual assault is someone related to the family or close to the family then the court has been known to give consideration to claims many years after the event when the victim has gained independence or freedom from the environment where the incidents took place.
What is considered sexual assault or abuse?
If you are being abused, pressured or forced into having sex when you don’t want to, or you are forced to doing sexual acts you don’t want to perform then that is sexual abuse.
Report abuse at the earliest possible time
Ideally you should report the abuse to the Police at the earliest possible time but if you aren’t in a position to do so at the time then you should report as soon as you feel safe to do so. In order to make a successful claim you need to co-operate with the authorities when they investigate the incident because a lack of co-operation can result in a claim being denied.
This information has been compiled by Grant & Co Lawyers who are community-minded Victims of Crime Lawyers based in Melbourne who specialise in VOCAT cases. If you would like to call or have a free meeting with Grant & Co Lawyers, then please call