Duration: 45:05
CPD ACCREDITED Webinar: Criminal Justice & Sexual Violence: Challenges, Gaps & Emerging Approaches
This session from our 2026 Supporting Survivors of Sexual Abuse Conference brings together leading voices in prosecution, defence, survivor advocacy, and social work research to examine where our justice system is failing sexual violence survivors and where genuine progress is being made.
Access to justice in Canada remains an uneven path for many survivors of sexual violence. This panel unpacks the systemic barriers sexual assault survivors face at every stage of the legal process, from reporting through to trial, and explores the evidentiary challenges that too often stand between survivors and accountability.
Moderated by Gluckstein Lawyers Associate Ivanna Iwasykiw, this panel features Neville Golwalla, Heather Lawson, and Victoria Donkin, each offering a distinct professional perspective on sexual assault law in Canada. Together, they discuss survivor advocacy strategies, trauma-informed justice practices, and emerging approaches designed to close longstanding gaps in the system. The conversation draws on real courtroom experience, frontline advocacy work, and current research to give viewers a grounded, multi-dimensional understanding of the challenges survivors encounter and the reforms being proposed to address them.
Please note that this program contains 45 minutes of CPD Accredited Professionalism Content.
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Sexual Abuse
If someone intentionally chose to commit a violent and/or psychologically damaging attack on you or a loved one, it feels all the more “personal” and intentional in nature.Related Expertise.
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