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VOL. 24, NO. 110
Lawyers and advocates hope that a special court day devoted to domestic violence cases will help reduce abuse
NANAIMO
Jackie Gaudet is the Crown counsel assigned to the domestic violence court, which held its first session at the beginning of the month. CHRIS BUSH/THE NEWS BULLETIN
BY JENN M C GARRIGLE THE NEWS BULLETIN
D
omestic violence court files are being handled a little differently in Nanaimo. These cases are now separated from the rest of the criminal files and dealt with through the domestic violence court, which had its first session at the beginning of the month. It is the second of its kind in B.C. – Duncan has had a similar program for several years. “It’s a new specialized court that’s strictly for dealing with family violence,” said Jackie Gaudet, the Crown counsel assigned to the domestic violence court. “We’re learning that we need to treat these files in a different way.” Domestic violence files are different from other criminal matters because the victim is intimately connected to the accused – the individuals are often married, have children and homes together, and results can destroy families, she explained. The court is in session once every two weeks and services such as Haven Society’s community victim services program, the Justice Access Centre and an aboriginal court worker are on hand to provide support for victims and accused. The initiative is the result of the advocacy of a group formed in Nanaimo several years ago to talk about high-risk cases and how to deal with these situations more efficiently and safely. The Community Coordination for Domestic Safety includes representation from a range of service providers and government organizations that deal with domestic violence incidents. Nanaimo Crown counsel deals with about 500 domestic violence cases each year and both men and women can be the perpetrators, said Gaudet. ◆ See ‘ADVOCACY’ ‘ /7
Court date set for domestic violence
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