The newly introduced bill is bringing in major reforms which aim to improve protection for survivors of gender-based and intimate partner violence by implementing key measures.
Some of these measures include:
- Increased penalties for sexual violence
- Making changes to the current bill to improve survivors’ access to information in court
- A new criminal offence to target patterns of coercive or abusive behaviours, allowing for interventions before the violence escalates
The Impact on Mental Health
The Protecting Victims Act is designed to also address the mental health and well-being of survivors by targeting aspects of the criminal justice system that often causes re-traumatization and distress.
This bill uses a trauma-informed approach, shifting the focus from challenging the victim’s credibility to holding offenders accountable for their actions, which leads to supporting a survivor’s mental health recovery.
