Justice system betrays sexual violence survivors, says federal advocate for victims of crime

Federal Ombudsperson for Victims of Crime Benjamin Roebuck’s new 300-page report on how victims of sexual violence are treated throughout the justice system found that survivors of sexual violence were often re-traumatized by the system.

A report from Canada’s victims of crime advocate says survivors of sexual violence are being systemically betrayed by the criminal justice system as allegations are often disbelieved and cases are regularly delayed or dropped.

These are just some of the findings from a nearly 300-page report entitled Rethinking Justice for Survivors of Sexual Violence: A Systemic Investigation.

The report by Benjamin Roebuck, the federal ombudsperson for victims of crime, is the result of more than 3,000 interviews, surveys and case reviews conducted since March 2024.

It examines how victims of sexual violence are treated throughout the justice system; whether their allegations are believed; what resources they have access to; and how their membership in a vulnerable group or geographic location impacts their experience.

“The harm is so well recognized that police officers and Crown attorneys regularly caution survivors against reporting or pursuing charges. The administration of justice is in open disrepute,” Roebuck said in his foreword to the report.

The report says there are systemic issues across the justice system that need to be addressed in order to encourage victims to come forward and to prevent them from being re-traumatized by that system when they do.