Our Access to Justice team tackles the legal side of victim support. This team prevents secondary traumatization at the hands of the justice system by following up with the victim and ensuring that the justice system abides by its own mandates. We also prepare victims for court; for younger victims, we work directly with the Intermediary Officer at the court to show them what to expect when they give testimony, reassuring them that the perpetrator cannot have any physical contact with them.

From May 2015 to April 2016, the Access to Justice team assisted

The Access to Justice team is very successful, but we also face many challenges. One of the biggest challenges is that the 1:1 support we provide is expensive and resource intensive to maintain, particularly as we are a team of 3, but provide individualized support to an average of 145 clients per month. In addition, finding qualified candidates with the legal and language experience necessary to support our victims is also a challenge.