Addressing the impact of trauma

Chandni was sexually assaulted as a child in the 1970s. She kept the abuse secret for decades, until eventually disclosing it to a medical practitioner treating her for another issue. Chandni’s world fell apart after the disclosure. She began having flashbacks and her mental health spiralled, which also impacted on her physical health. Chandni required intensive and expensive medical treatment for her conditions. With the gentle encouragement of her psychiatrist, Chandni finally felt able to make disclosures to police about the abuse.

When Chandni sought advice from PCLC, she did not know much about the Victims of Crime Assistance program at all. Our lawyer broke the law down for Chandni, giving her practical advice about the likelihood of success with her proposed claim, the process that would be involved, as well as being realistic about how difficult it was going to be for her mentally and emotionally.

Chandni decided to go ahead, and our lawyer took the necessary steps to liaise with police and her treating professionals as well as helping Chandni to obtain her supporting materials without delay.

Our lawyer drafted Chandni’s application and lengthy written submission, and submitted them for determination by the Victims Of Crime Assistance Tribunal (VOCAT). VOCAT indicated that, on being satisfied with our submission, it was willing to award Chandni everything we had requested in her application, except for one item. Chandni was awarded payments for her psychiatrist’s and counsellor’s VOCAT reports, future psychiatry and counselling sessions, as well as a large reimbursement for past medical expenses relating specifically to her mental health treatment. Chandni became very emotional and cried when we relayed this news to her, as the award both acknowledged the suffering she endured for many years and provides her with crucial supports going into the future to aid her in recovery.