Victoria has introduced new gag laws preventing survivors of sexual assault and rape from using their own identity while speaking out about and telling their stories, in cases where this a conviction in place or proceedings are pending.

The only way around this currently is for a victim to get a court order which can be a timely and costly process, in order to use their own name when speaking out online, to the media etc. after the perpetrator has been found guilty. This is stripping victims of their power and protecting criminals.

It’s never one's choice to be sexually abused, assaulted or raped but it should be their choice to speak up and empower others to do so, victims/survivors have already had so much taken from them it shouldn’t be up to someone else if they choose to share their own identity alongside their story or not without the fear of a sanction such as fines and jail time.

Read more here and here. Click here for important info about this affects victim-survivors.

Image via #LetUsSpeak (links to the campaign's GoFundMe - please consider contributing to their campaign)