This module will enable a judge to:

• Understand the implications for the courts of a victim's reluctance to disclose intimate partner sexual abuse, including the difficulty she herself may have in recognizing the abuse as a crime and the greater shame that attaches to intimate partner sexual abuse than to stranger rape or physical violence alone.
• Understand why disclosure is particularly difficult for victims from some cultures and religions or marginalized communities.
• Create a courtroom environment in which victims and those who advise/represent them do not anticipate automatic disbelief from making this disclosure.
• Be alert for language barriers and choose appropriate interpreters
• Be alert to possible immigration consequences of case outcomes for victim and offender.