The government has announced a new package of reforms aimed at giving rape victims a fairer, safer experience in court and tackling the rape myths that continue to shape trial outcomes.

The announcement forms part of the government’s Plan for Change to rebuild trust in the system and halve violence against women and girls within a decade.

Rape Crisis England & Wales has launched Living in Limbo, their new report exposing something survivors have been saying for years: the criminal justice system is retraumatising people long before a trial ever begins.

The law has failed a woman and her child - and now they’re fighting back

A six-year-old girl has been forced by a High Court ruling to keep the surname of the man who raped her mother. He hasn’t seen her in years, has threatened to kill them both, and yet the court decided his name should define her “identity and heritage”.

The 5 senses grounding technique.

Something that really stuck with me from a therapy session - creating a little grounding pouch to carry with you. A handful of small, familiar things that help you reconnect to your body and the present moment when life feels too much.

A new opportunity has been launched for young people aged 18–25 to help shape how the UK understands and discusses the rule of law. The Attorney General’s Office has opened applications for its first Youth Ambassadors Programme (YAP) - a six-month initiative putting young voices at the centre of public legal education.

Youth Ambassadors will co-design a national communications campaign, take part in expert-led workshops, and visit key legal and political institutions while working alongside the Law Officers.

The Solicitor General has confirmed that the CPS Victims’ Right to Review (VRR) pilot in the West Midlands will continue while its impact is evaluated, with victims and survivors directly contributing to how it evolves.

This week, campaigners across Ireland are uniting to demand long-overdue reform of the family law courts - a system many say is failing those it is meant to protect.

This Wednesday, campaigners including Nicola Fox - known for her advocacy around the #BringHarryHome and #FreeNicolaFox movements - will gather outside Leinster House in Dublin at 1 pm for a peaceful protest. The demonstration aims to shed light on what many mothers and children endure behind closed doors and to push for meaningful legislative and cultural change within the family justice system.

When families lose loved ones to fatal male violence, the least they deserve is justice. Yet for too many Black, minoritised, and migrant (BMM) women - and their families - justice remains out of reach.

On 31 October 2025, Killed Women launched INVISIBLE WOMEN, a groundbreaking campaign to confront systemic racism, neglect, and institutional failure across policing, justice, and support services.

Family-led and survivor-driven, the campaign demands accountability, visibility, and reform. It amplifies the voices of bereaved families who are standing together to say: enough.

Over recent months, so-called “self-swab rape kits” have been promoted online and on university campuses as a way to “end rape” - marketed as tools for survivors to collect their own evidence or confirm what’s happened to them.

But leading organisations - including Rape Crisis England & Wales, Victim Support, and the Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine (FFLM) - are warning that these kits could put survivors at risk, offering false reassurance instead of real protection. Experts across law, medicine, and forensics have voiced concern that such products may mislead survivors, retraumatise them, and fail in both legal and emotional terms.

“AI art seems fun and harmless… until it isn’t.”

That’s the warning from Pam Saxby, a South African journalist and long-time activist who’s been raising awareness about how AI text-to-image tools are being used to objectify women and reproduce old patterns of exploitation through new technology.

Helping Survivors is a U.S.– based online resource dedicated to providing clear, trauma-informed information and support for individuals who have experienced sexual assault or abuse. Their mission is to help survivors understand their legal rights, access specialist care, and find pathways toward recovery and justice.

Created by a team of advocates and experts, Helping Survivors combines empathy with professional insight to ensure people feel supported, informed, and empowered - wherever they are in their healing journey.

Counting the Cost of Sexual Violence - and the Cost of Inaction

We all know sexual violence has devastating human costs - but it also has financial ones that stretch across lifetimes.
Health care. Lost work. Trauma. The justice system. The things you can’t see, and the ones you can’t stop paying for.

Developed by VISION and the Women’s Budget Group, this first-of-its-kind Costing Calculator estimates the lifetime cost of sexual violence across England and Wales. It draws together data from health, justice, social care, productivity loss, and specialist services - offering a sobering picture of what violence truly costs individuals, communities, and our country.

In a world where silence around sexual violence persists, a groundbreaking survivor-led project is refusing to look away. Let’s Talk About Rape® is not just a book. It is a movement - one that confronts stigma head-on, restores agency to those who have lived through violence, and invites readers into a dialogue that society has too often avoided.

Through intimate photography and raw personal testimonies, survivors from across the world step forward to reclaim their voices.

For too long, people born from rape (PBR) have been a hidden community - silenced by stigma, left out of victim frameworks, and ignored by services and the law. Now, that’s changing.

NowVisible is a survivor-led organisation demanding recognition, rights, and support for people born from rape. Their work is paving the way for vital systemic change, rooted in the belief that no one should be left behind in conversations about justice, care, and healing.

The M.Y.H Journal and M.Y.H Noticeboard are always open for submissions. There are no limits to format - words, images, film, audio, or something entirely different. If it’s your way of expressing, we want to see it.

We welcome survivors, campaigners, artists, writers, and allies to share their voice. This is a space to speak truth, create, and connect - to make yourself heard.

There are some stories you don’t just watch - you carry them with you. Prima Facie is one of those stories.

If you’ve seen it, or even just heard someone try to put it into words, you’ll know what I mean. Jodie Comer stands alone on stage for the entire play, but it never feels like she’s alone. She’s talking to us - not just as an audience, but as people who’ve lived in a world where the legal system doesn’t always feel like it’s working for us.

When you’ve experienced crime, the justice system can feel overwhelming, confusing, or even alienating. To make sure victims and survivors are treated fairly, the government created the Victims’ Code - formally known as the Code of Practice for Victims of Crime. It sets out the rights you are entitled to whenever you engage with the police, courts, or other criminal justice agencies in England and Wales.

The 24/7 Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Line, run by Rape Crisis England & Wales, is a lifeline for anyone aged 16+ who has been affected by sexual violence at any point in their life. Whether something happened recently or many years ago, whether you are certain about what happened or still questioning it, this service is here to listen and believe you.

When someone experiences sexual violence or domestic abuse, navigating the criminal justice system, health services, and the emotional impact can feel overwhelming. That’s where specialist advocates come in. Two key roles you might hear about are Independent Sexual Violence Advisors (ISVAs) and Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (IDVAs). These professionals are trained to support victims and survivors, helping you to understand your options, make informed choices, and feel less alone.

Some books arrive at exactly the moment we need them. They don’t just speak to an issue; they give us language for what often feels unspeakable. They remind us that systems can fail, but voices can cut through. Here are five books I consider essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the current landscape of justice, power, and the fight for change in the UK today