Extracts from a speech delivered by victim/survivor and campaigner, Hazel Behan, guest at Socialist Party conference on 21 June 2025
Survivors of gender violence carry more than just the weight of what happened to them. They carry the silence they were forced into, the shame that was never theirs to hold, and the pain of systems that too often failed them. And nowhere is that more painfully clear than in our so-called justice system.
It offers misogyny, retraumatization, and blame. Survivors are interrogated, disbelieved, judged on what they wore, how they acted, or whether they fought back — as though these things define the harm they experienced.
This isn’t justice. It’s systemic silencing — and it reinforces the very culture that enables abuse to continue and thrive.
But I want to focus, too, on something powerful — something I’ve seen and felt firsthand — and that is the strength of survivors who find their voice. Because despite everything — the shame, the fear, the systems stacked against them — more and more survivors are speaking out. And when they do, something incredible happens.
Speaking out — whether it’s telling your story publicly, joining a protest, or even just confiding in someone for the first time — can be an act of defiance. It can be the start of healing. And more than that, it can be the start of collective change.
I’ve seen how powerful this becomes when survivors come together. And I want to acknowledge the role that the amazing members of ROSA and individuals like the formidable Ruth Coppinger have played in creating that space — not just to speak, but to fight back.
When survivors were being blamed in courtrooms — ROSA and Ruth were on the streets, saying: “This is not acceptable. We believe you.”
When survivors needed support, they didn’t just offer sympathy — they offered solidarity. They built platforms where voices, including mine, could be heard, and campaigns that demanded real change including Ruth’s Bill to ban the use of counselling notes at GBV trials which has, essentially, began a movement. Survivors, a growing group of therapists and some of those in political spaces have joined together in solidarity. Ruths hard work and determination was the catalyst for all of this.
The use of counselling notes in trials is an issue that strikes at the heart of justice, dignity, and the protection of human rights.
Let me be clear: gender-based violence is not just a crime against the individual — it is a violation of trust, a breach of safety, and an act that too often leaves survivors living in silence, shame, and fear. And when survivors do find the courage to speak up, to seek support, and to access counselling — that most private and vulnerable space — the very system meant to protect them can betray them again.
Ruth has set out a clear, comprehensive Bill to ban the use of counselling notes in gender-based violence trials. This change in legislation would see the protection of the victim prioritised, without compromising the fairness of the trial
This is not just about legal reform — it is about changing culture. It is about saying that survivors are not to be doubted by default. That their healing journey is sacred. That their truth is not up for public cross-examination.
We cannot ask survivors to come forward — to tell their stories, to face their abusers, to stand in court — and then punish them for doing so.
And that kind of work, the work Ruth and Rosa are doing, — that refusal to accept silence or injustice — has had a real impact, including on me. It reminded me that our pain is not just a private experience. It is political. And when we share it, when we organise around it, when we demand more — we begin to shift the power.
I personally recognise the value and importance of these movements. They’ve challenged power. They’ve built real community. And they’ve helped people like me — and many others — feel less alone, more seen, and more powerful.
