Media

OTTAWA, April 11, 2011  —  Experts from across Canada will be attending a national symposium organized by the University of Ottawa on Wednesday, April 13, to advance the rights of crime victims in Canada. Participants include representatives from law enforcement agencies, the courts, victim rights organizations and victim services, as well as survivors and academics. Opening remarks are from 10 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. The media are invited to attend beginning at 9:30 a.m.

The Symposium, officially titled Victim Rights in Canada, Reaching International Standards, will examine how Canada can better meet international standards and catch up with established practices in the United States and the European Union, which provide better protection, better rights, better services and better support for victims of crime. What can Canada do to achieve these standards?

WHAT: Symposium Victim Rights in Canada, Reaching International Standards

WHEN: Wednesday April 13 2011, 9:30 a.m.

WHERE: Desmarais Building, 55 Laurier Avenue East, Room 12102 (12th floor), University of Ottawa (Campus map)

At the Symposium, Irvin Waller, professor of criminology at University of Ottawa and president of the International Organization for Victim Assistance, will discuss his new book, Rights for Victims of Crime: Rebalancing Justice, which not only examines the current state of international knowledge and practice on victim rights, but also shows that Canada lags behind in virtually every category.

"We need to rebalance justice in Canada with a national action plan to make Canada a leader in providing all victims of crime with the services, reparation and information that they need," says Irvin Waller. "If the US and the European Union can afford it, we can afford it."

As political leaders debate expenditures on crime and justice during the current federal election campaign, again this year:

• 1 in 10 Canadian adults will be a victim of an assault or another violent crime.
• Less than 10% of sexual assaults will be reported to the police.
• Crime victims will suffer the equivalent of $83 billion in losses, injury and trauma.

Yet, proposed federal expenditures to make victims matter under a "law and order" agenda are estimated at $13 million for improving the response to victims and at a shrinking $50 million for prevention; that's less than 2% of the rapidly growing allocations for policing and prisons. And in the meantime proposals for crime-victim reform gather dust.

Guests and panellists will include:

• Senator Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu
• Heidi Illingworth, executive director, Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime
• Steve Sullivan, executive director of Ottawa Victims Services
• Sharon Rosenfeldt, president of Victims of Violence
• Patrick Thiele, Saskatchewan Restitution Program
• Arlène Gaudreault, president, Plaidoyer-Victimes