Sexual assault survivors reach out to Waterloo region centre following hockey trial ruling
Community Justice Initiatives says restorative justice needs to be seen as an alternative to courts
The Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region say they have received a number of calls from victims after five former world junior hockey players were found not guilty of sexual assault in a London courtroom last week.
Many of the calls are from people who are reaching out wondering what the London verdict could mean for their own cases.
Lyndsey Butcher, the director of care at the centre, said the verdict has been difficult for the people they help.
On Friday, the day after the verdict, 20 survivors, volunteers and staff gathered for a community care drop-in event, including victims of sexual assault who had not reported the incident.
"We had three new survivors come to our centre. All three who had been considering whether or not to report," said Butcher.
"And because of this verdict, all three of them said that they were so hesitant and so afraid of what reporting would look like and if they were to take that step what they would be faced with."
Butcher says the three people would be supported by the sexual violence legal advocacy program, which supports survivors from the moment they make the decision whether they want to report to police.
"We help them to understand what police reporting looks like, what the investigation would entail and then if charges were laid, what a trial would look like," Butcher said.
"We are quite honest with them about what impact it may have on them and what type of things they would have to endure in a trial like being cross-examined, like not being believed," she said.
For survivors who choose to report to police, Butcher says the centre will make an appointment for them and be there every step of the way, from early discussions with police to the court case.
LISTEN | Local justice organization calls for funding for restorative justice programs:
Restorative justice offers alternative to a trial
Sexual assault survivors and advocates would like to have the option to deal with allegations of sexual assault outside the court system through what's known as restorative justice.
It focuses more on the rehabilitation of the offender of a crime and reconciliation with the victims and less on punishment.
The Kitchener non-profit Community Justice Initiatives offers a restorative justice program.
Kate Crozier is the organization's interim executive director and says before proceeding, they give the sexual assault survivor as much information as possible.
"So there's just a lot of conversation around what could it look like and she and our staff member will talk about options such as direct dialogue, letter writing and connecting online," said Crozier.
"We'll talk about what the survivor's vision of healing and justice looks like. We're really curious, what does it mean to them? What could it look like to them?"
From there, Crozier says they reach out to the person who caused the harm and invite them into a dialogue. She says they often find that they meet with people who acknowledge that harm happened but struggle with taking responsibility for it.
LISTEN | Local justice organization calls for funding for restorative justice programs:
Crozier would like to see more funding for restorative just for sexual assault cases in Ontario.
"A restorative process is a fraction of the cost of the legal system and held in the hands of survivors, healing and justice needs," said Crozier
"We need to divert cases from the legal system so that people can have their day and not have cases dropped out. And we can do this affordably. So we are looking for an investment into restorative justice processes by the province so that we can have survivors have their their opportunity for this."
The Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region has a 24 hour support line that is staffed by volunteers who have completed a comprehensive training program. The number to call is (519) 741-8633.
Anyone experiencing a domestic violence crisis and/or is in danger, call 911. For non-urgent situations, you can contact regional police at the non-emergency number (519) 570-9777.
Women's Crisis Services of Waterloo Region is available at (519) 742-5894 in Kitchener-Waterloo and (519) 653-2422 in Cambridge. Women in rural areas can connect by calling either number. The Waterloo Region Sexual Assault Domestic Violence Treatment Centre is available at (519) 749-6994.
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