New B.C. service provides free legal advice to sex assault victims

Anyone who is a victim of sexual assault in B.C. can now receive up to three hours of free, confidential legal advice.

The new program called “Stand Informed” is being offered by the not-for-profit Community Legal Assistance Society.

It’s available to anyone, regardless of age, gender or income. The advice is also available to folks who may be uncertain that what they experienced is sexual assault.

“Sexual assault occurs frequently in British Columbia, but it is under-reported to police and few people seek help,” the Community Legal Assistance Society said.

The Criminal Code of Canada defines sexual assault as intentional sexual touching without consent. Consent must be expressed freely and be ongoing and can be revoked at any time.

Government stats show only six per cent of sexual assaults are reported to police, often because victims distrust the police, are afraid they won’t be taken seriously, think they won’t get justice, or are unfamiliar with the justice system.

StatCan also shows that women, Indigenous women, and 2SLGBTQIA+ people are disproportionately the victims of sexual assault.

“An alarming statistic from 2019 shows that 37% of women over the age of 15 have experienced sexual assault in B.C.,” the society explained.

Any person who experiences sexual assault in B.C. and lives in B.C. can receive free legal advice by calling 604-673-3143 to access Stand Informed services. 

“Stand Informed legal advice services fill a gaping hole in the legal assistance available to people in British Columbia. Until now, anyone who experienced sexual assault had nowhere to turn for accessible legal advice,” said Jennifer Khor, CLAS Supervising Lawyer and Project Manager.

“Our goal with this service is to inform people of their legal options and empower them to do what they feel is best in their situation. It’s also important to note that in B.C., there is no time limit for filing a criminal or civil complaint of sexual assault.”

Speaking to CityNews, Khor says after a brief intake session with a staff member, a lawyer will be in touch.

“The service is completely confidential and completely free. So, people should be encouraged to reach out to us,” she said.

Folks who use the service may also have other questions or concerns that lawyers will be able to advise on — especially those with immigration concerns if they’re on a temporary work permit, student visa, or if someone is undocumented or trafficked.

“We can help give advice on that, and we can also connect people with other resources and support to help someone go through the process. The most important thing is that we try to support people to do what’s best for them in their situation,” Khor said.

The free legal advice service is not the first from the CLAS. The service also offers free legal advice for anyone who’s experienced workplace sexual harassment, called Sharp Workplaces.

“It was through that, where people were approaching us who were sexually assaulted in non-work related circumstances, and we knew there wasn’t anywhere else to refer them to,” she explained “[There are] people who aren’t accessing any kind of support, and we really hope to provide and fill a gap for that.”