- 注册
- 2002-10-07
- 消息
- 402,187
- 荣誉分数
- 76
- 声望点数
- 0
Ontario is considering introducing restorative justice for sexual violence and harassment cases, Attorney General Yasir Naqvi said Friday.
As part of its gender-based violence strategy, the Ontario government said it will study restorative justice — which focuses on the rehabilitation of offenders through reconciliation with victims — as an alternative to the court process in some sexual violence cases.
“What we have heard is that the traditional justice system may not be the most optimum way of dealing with survivors,” he said. “One of the commitments we have made is to see whether there are alternative mechanisms that could be put in place.”
Naqvi said it is too soon to say whether it will be adopted. “We need to do some more policy work on that and more consultation as to what it would look like.”
Research by University of Ottawa criminologist Holly Johnson and others suggests fewer than one per cent of sexual assault cases result in convictions, with numerous points of attrition along the way — starting with the fact that only 10 per cent of assaults are ever reported to police.
She and others have said the criminal justice system response to sexual violence is inadequate.
Naqvi said provincial officials —including through the rountable on violence against women, set up by Premier Kathleen Wynne — have been hearing about deficiencies in the criminal justice system when it comes to dealing with sexual violence.
“What we have heard is about the deficiencies in the system where you’ve got survivors who are maybe not comfortable … being a witness and all the evidence that comes out. Could there be a better mechanism that is obviously evidence based but is focused on dealing with trauma and healing?”
Restorative justice is currently used in some youth and Indigenous courts in the province. It involves having the person who caused the harm and the person or people affected by the harm working together for resolution.
Ontario’s commitment to “engage in the conversation” about alternatives to traditional court is part of its strategy that includes an infusion of money for programs that support victims of sexual violence as well as counselling for offenders.
Among recipients of the $242 million announced March 1 is Ottawa Victim Services, which said it has had a hard time keeping up with growing demand in recent months, fuelled in part by the #MeToo movement and high-profile cases that have raised awareness about sexual violence.
Executive director Melissa Heimerl welcomed the provincial funding announced Friday, saying it will help reduce wait times for victims of sexual violence and others who are seeking help by allowing the organization to add staff. Some local details of the funding strategy were announced Friday, although exact dollar amounts are not known.
“We just can’t keep up with the demand,” she said. Three years ago, the organization assisted 2,000 victims. During its most recent year, its caseload was 10,000.
Ottawa Victim Services offers crisis help and longer-term support for victims of violence. Although the program serves all victims of violence, Heimerl said helping victims of sexual violence is a significant and growing part of the work her organization does.
According to its most recent statistics, 59 per cent of the people it served were women seeking help for domestic assault or sexual violence. She said more people are aware of the services the organization offers because there is more focus on sexual violence as a result of #MeToo and other cultural campaigns.
Carrolyn Johnston, acting director of the Ottawa Coalition to End Violence Against Women, said violence against women services have been chronically underfunded for years.
“While this new funding is important, more needs to be done to fund services appropriately and meet the needs of individuals experiencing violence against women and gender-based violence.” That is especially true now, given increasing demands for services, she said.
Money will also go to expanding the free independent legal advice program for survivors of sexual violence, increasing capacity of sexual assault centres to meet growing demand, supporting survivors to navigate the family court system and expanding the Partner Assault Response Program to provide education and counselling for domestic violence offenders.
Naqvi said the concerns of rural regions, including Renfrew County where three women were murdered in 2015, have been a focus of increased funding to address domestic and sexual violence.
The funding comes the same week as a mother and her two children were killed in Ajax, near Toronto. The case appears to be the eighth this year in which a Toronto-area woman was killed by a man with whom she was in a relationship.
epayne@postmedia.com
查看原文...
As part of its gender-based violence strategy, the Ontario government said it will study restorative justice — which focuses on the rehabilitation of offenders through reconciliation with victims — as an alternative to the court process in some sexual violence cases.
“What we have heard is that the traditional justice system may not be the most optimum way of dealing with survivors,” he said. “One of the commitments we have made is to see whether there are alternative mechanisms that could be put in place.”
Naqvi said it is too soon to say whether it will be adopted. “We need to do some more policy work on that and more consultation as to what it would look like.”
Research by University of Ottawa criminologist Holly Johnson and others suggests fewer than one per cent of sexual assault cases result in convictions, with numerous points of attrition along the way — starting with the fact that only 10 per cent of assaults are ever reported to police.
She and others have said the criminal justice system response to sexual violence is inadequate.
Naqvi said provincial officials —including through the rountable on violence against women, set up by Premier Kathleen Wynne — have been hearing about deficiencies in the criminal justice system when it comes to dealing with sexual violence.
“What we have heard is about the deficiencies in the system where you’ve got survivors who are maybe not comfortable … being a witness and all the evidence that comes out. Could there be a better mechanism that is obviously evidence based but is focused on dealing with trauma and healing?”
Restorative justice is currently used in some youth and Indigenous courts in the province. It involves having the person who caused the harm and the person or people affected by the harm working together for resolution.
Ontario’s commitment to “engage in the conversation” about alternatives to traditional court is part of its strategy that includes an infusion of money for programs that support victims of sexual violence as well as counselling for offenders.
Among recipients of the $242 million announced March 1 is Ottawa Victim Services, which said it has had a hard time keeping up with growing demand in recent months, fuelled in part by the #MeToo movement and high-profile cases that have raised awareness about sexual violence.
Executive director Melissa Heimerl welcomed the provincial funding announced Friday, saying it will help reduce wait times for victims of sexual violence and others who are seeking help by allowing the organization to add staff. Some local details of the funding strategy were announced Friday, although exact dollar amounts are not known.
“We just can’t keep up with the demand,” she said. Three years ago, the organization assisted 2,000 victims. During its most recent year, its caseload was 10,000.
Ottawa Victim Services offers crisis help and longer-term support for victims of violence. Although the program serves all victims of violence, Heimerl said helping victims of sexual violence is a significant and growing part of the work her organization does.
According to its most recent statistics, 59 per cent of the people it served were women seeking help for domestic assault or sexual violence. She said more people are aware of the services the organization offers because there is more focus on sexual violence as a result of #MeToo and other cultural campaigns.
Carrolyn Johnston, acting director of the Ottawa Coalition to End Violence Against Women, said violence against women services have been chronically underfunded for years.
“While this new funding is important, more needs to be done to fund services appropriately and meet the needs of individuals experiencing violence against women and gender-based violence.” That is especially true now, given increasing demands for services, she said.
Money will also go to expanding the free independent legal advice program for survivors of sexual violence, increasing capacity of sexual assault centres to meet growing demand, supporting survivors to navigate the family court system and expanding the Partner Assault Response Program to provide education and counselling for domestic violence offenders.
Naqvi said the concerns of rural regions, including Renfrew County where three women were murdered in 2015, have been a focus of increased funding to address domestic and sexual violence.
The funding comes the same week as a mother and her two children were killed in Ajax, near Toronto. The case appears to be the eighth this year in which a Toronto-area woman was killed by a man with whom she was in a relationship.
epayne@postmedia.com
查看原文...
