I talked about the importance of better understanding the impact a traumatic event can have on how a victim behaves. That means a better understanding of what a victim is experiencing when they are testifying and can't remember certain things, for instance. That's a normal biological response to stress, and that needs to be understood. Not being able to remember something doesn't make someone a “bad victim”. There's this belief that, in order to be a “good victim”, a person has to meet certain criteria, including being fairly strong, and it's a commonly held belief by those who work in the justice system. They consider whether the victim is strong enough in deciding whether to move forward with the case.
It's important to keep improving the supports available to victims and to ensure that participants in the justice system understand how stress affects victims.