February 25, 2011
Province to File Complaint in Controversial Sexual Assault Case
– – –Women Must Feel Safe When Dealing with Judicial System: Howard
Labour and Immigration Minister Jennifer Howard, minister responsible for the status of women, has announced the province will file a complaint with the Canadian Judicial Complaints Council regarding remarks made in the sentencing hearing of a man convicted of a severe sexual assault.
“I am concerned that victims in sexual assault cases will fear being blamed for the crimes against them,” Howard said. “When a woman doesn’t consent to sex, there are no circumstances that warrant sexual assault or excuse an attacker’s behaviour.”
The sentencing hearing took place Feb. 18 in Court of Queen’s Bench in Thompson. The Canadian Judicial Council has authority over federally appointed Queens Bench judges. Anyone can file a complaint with the council.
“It is important that women in Manitoba feel they are protected by the law and will be respected by courts if they file charges against an attacker,” Howard said.
The province has implemented numerous initiatives to protect women from sexual attacks including:
- launching a cyberstalking awareness campaign for schools around the province;
- launching a domestic-violence prevention website at www.manitoba.ca/domesticviolence;
- creating the Domestic Violence Death Review Committee to review homicide cases involving domestic violence and use the lessons learned to help prevent other families from becoming victims;
- providing $13.5 million in funding to family violence prevention programs, triple the funding available in 1999, and increasing funding to external agencies by nearly 90 per cent since 1999;
- creating a Workplace Initiative to Support Employees Program to help employers and co-workers recognize and respond to signs of domestic violence within the workplace;
- creating a Domestic Violence Intervention Unit to provide intervention and support for families where calls for emergency services show problematic family relationships that might escalate to criminal behaviour;
- launching Tracia’s Trust, a $2.4-million sexual exploitation strategy to make offenders more accountable; and
- creating the Manitoba’s Victims’ Bill of Rights, which specifies the rights of victims when dealing with police, prosecutors, courts and corrections officials.
“On the eve of International Women’s Day, which falls every year on March 8, we are not going to turn the clock back to a time when women were afraid to come forward and use the judicial system,” Howard said. “No means no.”
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