Thank you Faiza Amin for covering this important matter.
Published September 20, 2024
Unequal Justice: Women and the Criminal Justice System in Canada (5 Aug 2025).
Click on the image beside to listen to the conversation hosted by former MP Pam Damoff with Karen Vecchio, former MP and Chair of the Status of Women Committee, Megan Walker, VP of the National Council of Women of Canada, and Alexa Barkley, co-founder of Survivor Safety Matters.
Court experiences
Here are excerpts from recent court experiences and the harms of Section 278.
How is it in the interest of justice for a person to have to ask the crown to drop their case because of the threat of further violation?
“Someone who abuses you, being able to access your personal records, that is the last person that should be allowed to see those things... I think that is wrong, it is not fair, it’s used to make people not continue with the system.”
“Even the possibility of personal journals or third-party counselling records being admissible in court can prevent survivors from reporting or seeking treatment... There needs to be a balance between the rights of accused individuals and the rights of victims.”