Independent Legal Advice Program Launched for Victims of Intimate Partner Violence

Monday, 8 June 2020 14:46

The Government of Yukon has launched an Independent Legal Advice program, which is designed to make victims feel comfortable and safe and assist victims in understanding their options.

The Government of Yukon has launched an Independent Legal Advice program, which provide free legal advice and information to victims of intimate partner violence and/or sexualized assault. The program is available to all people even those who do not wish to report their experience to the RCMP.

The program is designed to make victims feel comfortable and safe. Any information that is shared with a lawyer will be kept confidential. The Independent Legal Advice program will assist victims in understanding their options. The new program complements the Sexualized Assault Response Team (SART), which provides wrap-around emotional, medical and legal support services to victims of sexualized assault.

The Independent Legal Advice program is available to victims of all genders and ages, whether the incident took place recently or in the past and will help victims take control of their situation and their path forward. The program has been created with funding from the Government of Canada.

Individuals can access the program by contacting Victim Services at 867-667-8500, and by email: victim.services@gov.yk.ca. Another option is to contact a worker they trust in another organization, who can connect with Victim Services.

Minister of Justice Tracy-Anne McPhee said in a statement, Every situation in which an individual experiences intimate partner violence or sexualized assault is unique. Navigating the legal system can be difficult and stressful and we want to make it easier for people to get the help they need. The Independent Legal Advice program will allow those who have experienced intimate partner violence or sexual assault to receive free, confidential legal advice from specially-trained lawyers so they can make informed decisions. This is another part of our government's work to improve supports for victims of violent crime and sexualized assault in Yukon.

To be eligible, victims need to be living in Yukon or the incident must have occurred in Yukon. Victims will receive between 2 and 4 hours of free, confidential legal advice. Victims do not have to report to RCMP to access the program.

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