Sexual Violence Legislation Bill
The Sexual Violence Legislation Bill had its third reading in Parliament on 14 December 2021. The Bill makes changes to trial processes and evidence rules to reduce the unnecessary re-traumatisation that sexual violence complainants can experience in court. The Bill’s changes also aim to encourage verdicts based on truly relevant information, and not on common misconceptions about sexual violence – for example, myths and stereotypes that suggest a person is more likely to consent if they dress or behave in a certain way.
The Bill responds to Law Commission recommendations. Over time, its new protections for complainants should help to improve victims’ trust and confidence in the justice system, which will in turn increase the currently low rates of reporting of sexual violence in New Zealand.
The Bill forms part of the Government’s commitment to addressing family and sexual violence, and its implementation will be supported by nearly $38 million in funding from the Budget 2019 family and sexual violence package. Some parts of the Bill will be implemented immediately after Royal assent, while other changes that require a longer lead-in time will come into force within a year.
For more information you can read:
• the Sexual Violence Legislation Bill(external link)
• the Minister's press release(external link)
• proactive release - more about the proposals, in the Cabinet paper [PDF, 1 MB]