Trial venue and process: the victim and the accused

• Author: Lillian Mcgovern
• Position: Chief Executive Officer of Victim Support
• Pages: 103-112

TRIAL VENUE AND PROCESS:

THE VICTIM AND THE ACCUSED

LILLIAN MCGOVERN*

Thank you Mr. Justice Geoghegan and good morning

to you all. As I have been introduced, my name is Lillian

McGovern and I have been the Chief Executive of Victim

Support since 1998.

I am particularly pleased to be sharing the platform

with Muireann Ni Bhrian, Geraldine Connolly and Kate

Mulkerrins, all of whom bring a very particular and specialist

expertise to the subject of sexual crime in Ireland.

The Rape Crisis movement must be commended for

their excellent work with those who have suffered as a result

of such degrading acts of personal violation. Victim Support

continues to work in co-operation with the Rape Crisis

centres around the country in ensuring that victims of sexual

crime are referred to the appropriate professional help.

Victim Support assists over 7,000 victims of crime

each year. Our trained volunteers and staff offer practical

assistance and emotional support to those affected by many

different types of crime, ranging from property crime right

across the spectrum to those who have a family member

murdered.

Victim Support’s services include a Court Witness

Service which offers the necessary support to men and

women who have been raped or sexually assaulted. Our

expertise does not include counselling for such individuals,

but rather we provide that very necessary practical help and

continued support before, during and after the trial. We know

that the physical and mental scars for such people can be

profound and we know that they are often made worse by a

criminal system which they feel ignores or disregards their

plight. In the course of my work I regularly hear of instances

2003] Trial Venue and Process 103

* Chief Executive Officer of Victim Support.