There are several different types of Assault within the Canadian Judicial System.

Sexual Assault - click here

Domestic/ Intimate Partner Assault - click here

Physical Assault

If you have suffered an assault, a Victim Service advocate can help to explain what you can expect during the judicial process. You may be eligible to complete the following -

Emergency Funding Application

If you have been injured or have lost necessary possessions as the result of a serious crime, you may be eligible to apply for financial assistance. A Victim Service advocate can help you with this application. Or you can find the form here. Please note that this application has to be submitted within 45days of the crime.

Counselling Application

Emotional problems after a serious crime can be helped by counselling. In some situations you may be eligible to apply for financial assistance for counselling. A Victim Service advocate can help you with this application. Or you can find the form here. Please note that this application has to be submitted within 45days of the crime.

Victim Impact Statement

When you are the victim of a crime, you can sometimes feel as if you don't have a voice. Completing a Victim Impact Statement allows you to tell the Judge how a crime has affected your life. The Judge, lawyers, and the accused, will read your statement if and when the accused is found guilty and before sentencing. You can find more information about Victim Impact Statements by talking to us - or by looking here.

Statement of Restitution

Completing a Statement on Restitution allows you to ask the Judge to consider ordering the accused to repay you if you have lost any money because of a crime. The Judge may order this repayment to be part of the sentence that a person is given; and the person will have to repay you through the courts. Or the Judge could order a 'stand-alone' restitution order; which isn't part of the sentence.

To find out more about a Statement on Restitution, you can talk to us - or look here.

Trauma responses

If you have experienced a crime, or a traumatic situation, your body may be experiencing a traumatic response.

You may have heard of Fight-or-Flight response - which is when hormones are released by your body that enable you to protect yourself, or to run away from something dangerous. These hormones are designed to help us - and they often do. But sometimes, if we can't fight or run away, these hormones can make our body do things that aren't helpful to us. Sometimes we may experience things such as -

Difficulty sleeping
Difficulty concentrating
Anger
Fear
Difficulty breathing or a feeling of fast heart rate
Difficulty eating or feeling nauseated

These things can be a normal part of the traumatic experience that you've just had. Talking about them with someone who you trust, can help you deal with these feelings.

Another response to a traumatic event is the Freeze response. This is when the fight-or-flight response gets 'put on hold' and your body and mind become still and immobile while you wait for an opportunity to protect yourself.

All three of these responses can be normal reactions to a traumatic event. If you have questions about the way that you are feeling after a crime or traumatic event, a Victim Service advocate can assist you in finding a way to cope with those feelings.