Slain girl’s mother given interpreter
Organization says service should automatically be provided to families of victims
The mother of a 13-year-old girl killed in Burnaby will get a Mandarin interpreter so she can understand what’s going on in the trial of the man accused of the crime, the Attorney General’s Ministry says.
“In addition to the interpretation services, the family will continue to have access to support from victim services throughout court proceedings,” the ministry said in an email, adding privacy rules prevent it from disclosing specific services that have been provided. It said interpreters are provided for victims who testify in court.
The Office of the Federal Ombudsman for Victims of Crime called for an amendment to the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights last year so people who are affected by an offence also get that support and don’t have to ask for it.
Marrisa Shen’s mother requested an interpreter earlier this month through her lawyer in provincial court, and a judge recommended the B.C. government provide that service.
Ibrahim Ali, who is charged with first-degree murder, has had an Arabic interpreter for his pre-trial court appearances. He is set to make his next appearance on Nov. 23.
Shen’s mother does not wish to be identified and has not spoken publicly since her daughter was found dead in Central Park in Burnaby in July 2017.
Ninu Kang, a spokeswoman for Mosaic Community Services, said victims of crime should automatically get access to interpreters in court, the same as the accused, as they go through what is an intimidating and overwhelming process.
Kang said victims’ relatives, friends or members of a community sometimes step in to translate proceedings but unlike professional interpreters, they are not trained to understand court jargon and could be providing incorrect information while dealing with a stressful situation.
“Family members will further endure trauma and they don’t necessarily know even what their role is so they might interpret what is their understanding of what is being said.”
Professional interpreters must abide by a code of ethics, ensure accuracy and remain impartial, Kang said.
“There’s a need for professional conduct so victims aren’t feeling like they owe you anything. They’re paid individuals and victims should know they have a right to the workers.”
Kang said their non-profit organization is sometimes hired by the government to provide interpreters or workers who aid victims through the court process.
However, she said there aren’t enough resources for language interpreting in the community.
“We have a long way to go to recognize that all victims don’t have language proficiency in our two official languages, and providing language access is a humanrights issue for Canadians.”