Victims and Survivors of Crime Week 2016

Backgrounder

About Victims and Survivors of Crime Week

Victims and Survivors of Crime Week takes place from May 29, 2016 to June 4, 2016. The Week is an annual outreach initiative of the Government of Canada. The goal of Victims and Survivors of Crime Week is to raise awareness about the issues facing victims and survivors of crime, as well as the services, assistance and laws in place to help victims, survivors and their families. Victims and Survivors of Crime Week is also a time to acknowledge the work of service providers and their dedication to assisting victims and survivors of crime and their families.

Theme for 2016

The theme for the 2016 week is The Power of Our Voices. This theme recognizes that:

• Many victims and survivors are looking to move beyond their victimization and use the power of their voices to create positive change. While all victims of crime define their experience differently, their victimization does not need to define them.
• Throughout Canada, countless dedicated professionals and volunteers use the power of their voices to create a better experience for victims and survivors of crime by advocating for them and delivering effective and efficient services.
• Service providers and criminal justice professionals give information and meaningful support to victims, survivors and their families at the community, provincial, territorial and federal levels. Through funding and collaboration with organizations that provide victim services, the Government of Canada is helping to ensure that victims and survivors are heard.
• Over the past three decades, Canada has made significant advances towards ensuring that victims are treated with courtesy, compassion and respect while navigating the criminal justice system. By working together, all levels of government are recognizing the power of victims' and survivors' voices and making sure those voices are given the attention they deserve.

Victims and Survivors of Crime Week Projects

The Government of Canada, through the Department of Justice Canada’s Victims Fund, provides funding of up to $10,000 per organization to host events that support the goals of Victims and Survivors of Crime Week. This year, more than $1.2 million in funding was provided to 182 Victims and Survivors of Crime Week events and projects across Canada that include activities such as workshops, public events and training sessions for professionals. Examples of events and activities that are organized during Victims and Survivors of Crime Week include:

• Workshops and information sessions about violence against women and intimate partner violence and the services available in the rural communities near St. Anthony, Newfoundland and Labrador, Elsipogtog First Nation and Woodstock, New Brunswick.
• Workshops that feature the use of traditional practices, such as Indigenous storytelling and healing, with child victims in St. Catharines, Ontario, and an Indigenous grieving and releasing ceremony in Winnipeg, Manitoba, to honour the victims of crime and support their families, their loved ones and service providers.
• Public awareness events in Rocky Mountain House, Alberta, and Whitehorse, Yukon, about the issues facing victims and survivors of crime and the services, assistance and laws in place to help them.
• Training for victims’ service professionals in the Northwest Territories on assisting women who have experienced family violence, and a workshop for service providers in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, on responding to crisis.

The complete list of funded projects and events is available on the Victims Week Map of Events at http://www.victimsweek.gc.ca/map-carte/events-evene.aspx

For more information about Victims and Survivors of Crime Week, including videos and testimonials, resources and information about past symposia, please visit www.victimsweek.gc.ca.

Hon. Jody Wilson-Raybould Justice Canada Law