Can We Sentence The Victim?

Judges have no power over the victim and yet because of the victims own actions she may put herself in further danger by recanting her statement at trial. I recently sat through the following trial.
Ex-husband and wife still work together at the same company. She begins dating another co-worker. She shows up at work one morning after being beaten by the new boyfriend from work and tells her ex-husband her new boy-friend beat her. The ex-husband calls the police. The police come to the workplace take the victims photographs and signed statement that the new boyfriend caused her injuries.
At trial the victim recanted her statement under oath and swore it was not her new boyfriend that caused her injuries. Unfortunately this is all too common according to our local DV prosecutor. Police are called, the victim gives a statement, signs it and then changes her mind after the police leave.
Women have many and varied reasons for changing their minds at trial. I’m sure they all believe that they are doing the right thing. Some victims have been threatened by their abuser to recant, some need the financial support of their abuser and they won’t get that if he is in jail and some may just feel that “any man is better than no man.” The victim knows the abuser best and leaving a violent relationship is extremely dangerous and may even be fatal. But how can we make a victim understand that she has power? The law and an entire community is supporting her and she is not alone in her struggle to free herself from a violent relationship.
This is not victim blaming. It’s victim hoping and praying! Hoping and praying that the victim will understand she doesn’t have to live in free and pain even if it took a judge to sentence her to learn how?

Pamela