Two Montréal organizations that provide support to victims of crime receive funding from the Government of Canada Français

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Department of Justice Canada

Jul 19, 2021, 11:49 ET

MONTRÉAL, July 19, 2021 /CNW/ - Canadians expect to live in a society where the criminal justice system is fair and impartial and supports the needs of victims. The Government of Canada is committed to protecting every Canadian's rights and improving access to justice for the most vulnerable.

Rachel Bendayan, Member of Parliament for Outremont, on behalf of the Honourable David Lametti, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, announced today that the Government of Canada is providing financial support for two Montréal organizations that support victims of crime: the International Bureau for Children's Rights and the International Centre for Comparative Criminology (ICCC).

The project of the International Bureau for Children's Rights, "Comment intervenir auprès de l'enfant victime d'actes criminels : Modules de formation interactifs pour les professionnel.les de la justice" [Accompanying child victims of crime: Interactive training modules for justice professionals], comprises a series of concrete and practical online training modules focusing on skills, animations and short situational videos, among other things. The modules are for use by police officers, social workers and court officials throughout Quebec. The purpose is to provide better tools to professionals in the Quebec justice system to help them adapt their practices to the specific trajectories and rights of child victims and witnesses of crime using an integrated, multi-sectoral approach. The funding from the Department of Justice Canada will go toward improving the pedagogical and interactive modules, strengthening the post-production aspects of the modules, producing a companion guide for training, and running pilot versions of the courses before finalizing them.

The International Bureau for Children's Rights is a non-governmental organization founded in Montréal that has been fighting for the rights of children for more than 25 years in nearly 45 countries. The Department of Justice Canada is providing a total of $164,640 in funding over the course of two fiscal years, from 2020 to 2022, through the Victims Fund.

The International Centre for Comparative Criminology's project, "Justice pour les victimes d'actes criminels : Une clinique juridique pour les victimes" [Justice for victims of crime: a legal clinic for victims], will lead to the launch of a legal clinic for victims of crime. This clinic will take an interdisciplinary approach to access to justice for victims in criminal proceedings. The purpose is to provide legal information services to victims of crime and training opportunities for first-year law and criminology students.

The International Centre for Comparative Criminology is an inter-university centre attached to the University of Montréal and the University of Quebec at Trois-Rivières that is focused on the comprehensive study of crime, crime control, and security. The Department of Justice Canada is providing $411,951 in funding to the ICCC over the course of four fiscal years, from 2020 to 2023, through the Victims Fund.

Quotes

"The projects of the International Bureau for Children's Rights and the International Centre for Comparative Criminology meet significant needs relating to access to justice for the people of Quebec. The training of today's and tomorrow's justice professionals and support for young victims of crime are priorities for our government." 

The Honourable David Lametti, P.C., Q.C., M.P.
Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada

"The initiatives of the International Bureau for Children's Rights and the International Centre for Comparative Criminology contribute to the Government of Canada's efforts to transform the criminal justice system and better support victims. We must continue to implement initiatives like these to improve the ability of legal service providers to help victims of crime."

Rachel Bendayan
Member of Parliament for Outremont

"This project will enable all those who work day by day with child victims or witnesses of crime to have a better understanding of the rights of these young people and to develop practices for acting more effectively on their behalf. By ensuring that each interaction with a child shows respect for their rights and by putting their experience at the heart of our concerns we will be able to make a real difference."

Cathy Launay-Alcala, Director of Operations and Programs,
International Bureau for Children's Rights 

"The clinic's activities are meant both to support the autonomy and agency of victims of crime, taking into account their needs, strengths and desires, and to train future criminal justice stakeholders and raise their awareness of the lived experience of victims. This is intended to increase victims' trust in the justice system by improving their experience and treatment."

Jo-Anne Wemmers, Ph.D., Co-director, Legal Clinic for Victims of Crime, School of Criminology
International Centre for Comparative Criminology

Quick Facts

  • The Victims Fund provides grants and contributions to support projects and activities that encourage the development of new approaches, promote access to justice, improve the capacity of service providers, foster the establishment of referral networks, and/or increase awareness of services available to victims of crime and their families.
  • The Victims Fund aims to improve access to justice and services for all victims of crime, with a particular focus on meeting the needs of the most vulnerable victims of crime, including child and youth victims.

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SOURCE Department of Justice Canada

media may contact: Chantalle Aubertin, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Justice, 613-992-6568, [email protected]; Media Relations, Department of Justice Canada, 613-957-4207, [email protected]

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