Open Justice for All: Turning Pain Into Change
Grace sits with Charlotte Schreurs a women’s rights activist and the founder of Open Justice For All — a campaign committed to making the justice system more transparent, accountable, and accessible for all victims. Her advocacy is rooted in lived experience. After navigating the criminal justice system in a case against her former partner involving rape and coercive control, she saw firsthand how processes intended to deliver justice can instead leave victims feeling unheard, unsupported, and excluded. She turned that experience into meaningful change, she began campaigning to ensure the system is truly fit for purpose and works for those it is meant to protect. Notably, her campaign successfully secured a change in legislation this year; granting victims of all crimes the right to access their sentencing remarks free of charge — a significant step toward greater transparency and understanding. Her focus now is on further reforms, including ensuring that victims receive clear explanations following not guilty verdicts and advocating for the recording of proceedings in magistrates’ courts. Quotes: “Justice delayed is justice denied.” — William Ewart Gladstone “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”— Martin Luther King Jr. “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” — Martin Luther King Jr. “The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off.” — Gloria Steinem “Silence never won rights. They are not handed down from above; they are forced by pressures from below.” — Roger Nash Baldwin “The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.” — Alice Walker “I raise up my voice—not so that I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard.” — Malala Yousafzai “There is no tool for development more effective than the empowerment of women." — Kofi Annan “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” — Eleanor Roosevelt “One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman.” — Simone De Beauvoir “You may not control all of the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.” — Maya Angelou “The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference.” — Elie Wiesel Journal Prompts: What does justice mean to me personally? What does feeling safe mean to me? Have I ever ignored a warning sign because I didn’t want to believe something was wrong? What behaviours do I now recognise as controlling that I may previously have dismissed as jealousy or concern? What boundaries are important to me in healthy relationships? How would I respond if someone I loved told me they were experiencing abuse? What does accountability look like when someone has caused harm? What does a truly victim-centred justice system look like to me? Why is it important for victims to be believed, heard, informed, and treated with dignity—even when a criminal case does not result in a conviction? What attitudes about gender, relationships, consent, or power do I need to challenge in myself or my community? Where in my life do I need to reclaim my voice? If I could speak to someone who feels powerless today, what would I tell them? What is one thing I can do to help create a culture where abuse is taken seriously? What would meaningful change look like—not just for survivors, but for future generations? What part of my story could become a source of purpose, advocacy, or positive change? Key Takeaways: 1. Abuse is about more than isolated incidents Rape and coercive control can affect a person’s autonomy, confidence, relationships, mental well-being, and ability to feel safe. 2. Coercive control can be difficult to recognise Control can develop gradually through intimidation, isolation, monitoring, manipulation, threats, financial control, humiliation, and restrictions on independence. 3. The justice process matters Justice isn’t only about the final verdict. The way victims are treated throughout the process can have a profound impact. 4. Transparency builds accountability Victims deserve meaningful access to information about proceedings and decisions that affect them. 5. A not-guilty verdict doesn’t erase someone’s experience A criminal court’s verdict determines whether the prosecution has proved its case to the required legal standard. It does not necessarily answer every question a victim may have about what happened. 6. Reform can come from lived experience Personal pain can become a catalyst for systemic change when survivors are given the opportunity and platform to advocate. 7. Prevention starts before a crisis Education about consent, healthy relationships, boundaries, respect, power, and control can help challenge behaviours and attitudes that enable abuse. 8. Men and boys have an important role Preventing violence against women requires challenging harmful attitudes, modelling healthy relationships, respecting consent, and speaking up when abusive behaviour is normalised. 9. Victims deserve dignity regardless of the outcome A justice system can acknowledge the needs and humanity of victims while still maintaining fairness and due process for everyone involved. 10. Change is possible Legislative change demonstrates that persistent advocacy can translate lived experience into tangible reform. Contact Charlotte Schreurs: Website: https://www.openjusticeforall.com/ Twitter: @openjustice4all Instagram: @openjusticeforall Donation Link for RASA: ko-fi.com/grace_rasa Book a therapy and, or coaching session via my website: https://www.freedom4betterlife.com/ MBACP- Certified. (British Association For Counselling & Psychotherapy) Contacts For RASA: +447984098577 Email: [email protected] To contribute, use #participation to be a guest, # feedback or comment on the subject title. To share your story on the podcast, kindly send an email to: [email protected] - using #STORY for subject title. Kindly subscribe and leave reviews on Spotify, Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/rising-above-shadows-of-abuse/id1592540880 Follow RASA Podcast on social media. 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