I'm going back to what Lisa said about how they're not convicted yet. I get that. The reason I bring this up is that a few years ago, I was volunteering and a young lady came up to me and said she had been sexually assaulted. She went to the hospital and did all the reports, all the procedures and all the tests that she needed to prove that she had been sexually assaulted and beaten. The individual—I call him a criminal, even though he hasn't been charged—said to her while he was abusing her, “If you speak out, I will go after your family.” She decided to go to the hospital and report the crime, and while she was in there and everything was being followed through, he did. He went after her sister.
I guess I don't understand the law, so I apologize for my ignorance. When we have concrete evidence of a woman having been assaulted, and threatened at the same time, how do we in this committee protect those victims from those criminals?
Someone can apply on your behalf for a peace bond against anyone if you have reasonable grounds to fear that they'll cause harm or injury to you, your intimate partner or your child, damage your property or share an intimate image or video of you without your consent. It doesn't have to be someone you're in a relationship with. It could be anyone.
How can we ensure that these...? To me, they're criminals. I know they haven't been charged.
What more proof does that woman have to get to get her point across? That is my question, because I don't know.