Book aims to ease court experience for child victims
A new book offers guidance on the court process, as more children are suffering sexual abuse and need to go to court to testify about their traumatic experiences.
“Child Victims in Canada’s Justice System” is written by three people, including two who are connected to the Child Witness Centre in Kitchener. The book offers guidance to ease young victims through the court process and avoid further trauma as they move through the legal system.
The book is also a useful resource for anyone who works with children or in the legal system to help them better support young victims.
“It was the kind of information I needed when I arrived,” said coauthor Jack Reynolds, who for 10 years was executive director of the local Child Witness Centre — a big change in role from his longtime career in senior management at Mutual Life of Canada.
More than 500 children are referred annually to the centre, which provides support, education, court accompaniment and advocacy for child victims.
“And the number’s growing each year,” said Reynolds.
Reynolds wrote the book with JoAnne Hughes, the Kitchener centre’s co-founder and program manager who worked with child victims for more than 17 years, and Loree Beniuk, a Mississauga social worker who was involved with child witness and treatment programs in the Toronto area.
“I don’t see it as a book you read from cover to cover. I see it as a resource tool,” Hughes said.
The book is packed with information the trio said would be useful for child-protection workers, police officers, lawyers, doctors, educators, victims’ advocates and publichealth workers.
Topics include signs of child sexual abuse, details about how it’s investigated, the court system and how to prepare a child for the courtroom, along with information about victim rights and available supports.
It’s also a call to policymakers about what more needs to be done: more resources, but also improved data collection to better understand the scope of child abuse, especially with so many children and predators online.
“Certainly, I think there is a lack of awareness of how prevalent this issue is,” Beniuk said.
Parents can learn how to better detect and prevent crimes against children, as well as how to ensure victims receive effective responses and treatments.
How to talk to children who share that they’ve been abused is also covered. Court cases can be lost because of how adults talk to children about what happened to them. “Through no fault of their own,” Hughes said. “They’re not trained investigators. They’re just trying to be helpful.”
Children testifying in court is relatively new and the system continues to adapt to reduce stress or anxiety for kids. That includes changes to the courtroom, such as a special area away from the accused, and child witness programs that prepare children for what they’ll encounter.
“It’s just vitally important that the system not retraumatize these children,” Beniuk said.
Beniuk recalled two very different reactions from children.
One boy who had been badly beaten by his mother’s boyfriend was taken into the courtroom ahead of time to see what it would be like. While just sitting on the stand, he wet his pants.
“It’s still so stressful for this traumatized little guy to be there,” Beniuk said.
Another boy was incredibly pleased to be in the courtroom and tell the judge his story.
“He went away feeling proud of himself,” Beniuk said.
Reynolds is now reaching out to professionals and organizations that would find the book useful, including child witness programs across Ontario and Canada. The authors feel strongly about sharing the knowledge essential to protecting children from further harm.
“We’re working at creating awareness of the book,” Reynolds said.
Any proceeds from the book — available at Words Worth Books in Waterloo and online from Irwinlaw.com — will go to the Child Witness Centre in Kitchener.