rape & sexual violence
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criminal injuries compensation
There is a scheme from the government for anyone who has suffered physical or mental injury as a result of a criminal offence.
Everyone has the right to apply although not everyone is awarded a payment. Time limits, whether you reported the assault, long term effects, and the circumstances of your case are all contributing factors to how a decision to pay compensation to a victim will be made.
Publicity was given in 2008 to a number of cases where some women who had been raped had their compensation reduced by 25 per cent because they had been drinking. In the recently published Stern Review, they note the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority's current policy that applicants ‘who suffer a sexual assault while under the influence of drugs or alcohol will be eligible for a full award, if all other eligibility criteria are satisfied'. www.equalities.gov.uk/PDF/Stern_Review_acc_FINAL.pdf
Compensation can sometimes be awarded even if the abuser was not successfully prosecuted. Monetary compensation cannot undo the effects of rape and sexual assault, however it can be viewed as a form of justice and a way of society acknowledging what happened - whether the abuser is punished or not.
Rape Crisis Centres can provide support and advice about filling in the form.
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CICA is a government organisation that can pay compensation to people who have been physically or mentally injured because they were the innocent victim of a violent crime. For details visit www.cica.gov.uk |
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