She is after all a journalist, yet she has also inserted herself into the story. Many people have questioned Milligan’s writing style.

And while statistics are extremely important, I think that Milligan does something even more important with her book – she puts names to faces and helps tell the stories of survivors of sexual assault. In Australia, sexual assault is still grossly under-reported and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has some extremely tragic statistics on just how prevalent sexual assault is (for all genders) and how it does not get reported. Something that is actually extremely rare. This book follows the stories of victims of sexual assault who report their assault, and have it go to trial in Australia. With that said, I also feel that this book is extremely important and desperately needed – not just for the Australian criminal justice system, but for many countries the world over. It is harrowing and it made me extremely emotional and it even made me cry. Louise Milligan writes from the perspective of a female journalist who has helped victims talk about their assaults in the media through her journalistic work, as well as her own experiences with having to participate in some of these trials as a first complaint witness.

I recently read Louise Milligan’s book Witness: An Investigation into the Brutal Cost of Seeking Justice which centres on Australian sexual assault trials in the courts. I think this book is great and is definitely important, but also remember to treat yourself with kindness if you are reading it.

It contains a lot of discussions about sexual assault and could be distressing for people. Hand holding Louise Milligan’s book Witness: An Investigation into the Brutal Cost of Seeking Justice.ĬONTENT WARNING: This book is heavy.

Witness louise milligan