Lauren's Story

As I mentioned in last week's newsletter for Sexual Violence Awareness week, for the rest of February I will be handing over this platform to allow partners, from services my office commissions, to share with you the work they do to support victims across Dorset.

I hope to raise awareness of the support available to victims across Dorset by sharing the stories of those that have accessed the services, as well as sharing more information from the service providers themselves.

There are many different routes of support available to the victims who experience sexual abuse, stalking and domestic abuse and it is vital for them to have tailored support that suits their needs, whether that be counselling, practical advice, support from an ISVA or the use of Restorative Justice.

With this in mind, for my newsletter this week I would like to share with you Lauren’s story. Lauren was the victim of sexual abuse as a teenager. She was referred to the Restorative Justice service as an adult by her Victim Liaison Officer from the HM Prison and Probation Service. For Lauren, Restorative Justice has helped her find closure and heal. In the video below she shares her story.

David Sidwick

Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner