Supporting Indigenous Victims of Crime

First Nations, Métis and Inuit are severely overrepresented among victims of violence in Canada as children, youth and adults. Research, reports and commissions have clearly linked these experiences with past and present colonial policies, which have resulted in the disruption of community and family structures, as well as intergenerational trauma.

In addition to supporting families of missing or murdered Indigenous people, Indigenous advocates and leaders have called on governments across Canada to increase and improve access to justice, including increasing access to culturally grounded supports and services for Indigenous victims and survivors of crime. These calls were made through the final reports of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada and the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

Indigenous agencies and organizations have the best knowledge on how to move forward. Not only are they aware of the intersectional barriers that Indigenous victims of crime face when accessing services and supports, they also have the best knowledge on how to address them.

In recognition of this, through Budget 2023 the Government of Canada provided ongoing funding to support a wide range of Indigenous-led and jointly led activities, services and supports for Indigenous victims and survivors of crime across the country. This funding will help Indigenous people who are victims of sexual violence and exploitation, gender-based violence, hate crimes, and other experiences of victimization and harm, to access culturally grounded supports and services.

Purpose & Objectives

The “Supporting Indigenous Victims of Crime” (SIVC) initiative is intended to advance a wide range of projects and activities to increase support and assistance for Indigenous people who are victims and survivors of crime, including Indigenous women, youth, Elders, persons with disabilities, and 2SLGBTQI+ persons. Projects supported through this funding are intended to improve access to justice for Indigenous victims of crime through the design and delivery of victim supports and victim services, as well as through strengthened partnerships and activities to improve the experiences of Indigenous victims and survivors when in contact with the criminal justice system.

The key objectives of the SIVC funding are to:

1. Increase access to Indigenous-led, culturally safe, survivor-centred services and supports, at the community level, for Indigenous people who are victims and survivors of crime; and
2. Support and strengthen partnerships between Indigenous agencies, all levels of government, and various justice agencies to identify and design actions, practices and initiatives within the justice system (including policing, courts, and victim services) to reduce the harm that Indigenous victims and survivors experience in the system while strengthening victims’ rights.

Funding is linked to the following Victims Fund objectives:

• Promote access to justice and participation by victims of crime in the justice system
• Promote the development of law, policies and programs for victims of crime
• Promote the implementation of principles, guidelines and laws designed to address the needs of victims of crime and articulate the victim’s role in the criminal justice system
• Increase knowledge and awareness of the impact of victimization, the needs of victims of crime, available services, assistance and programs, and relevant legislation
• Encourage governmental and non-governmental organizations to identify victim needs and gaps in services, and develop and deliver programs, services and assistance to victims of crime
• Promote capacity-building within non-governmental organizations

View Call for Proposals

http://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/fund-fina/sivc_cfp-svaac_adp.html

Where does the SIVC Initiative come from?

Indigenous peoples have long called on governments across Canada to increase and improve access to justice, including access to culturally grounded supports and services for Indigenous victims and survivors of crime. These calls were heard through the final reports of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (2015) and the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (2019). In 2021, Federal, Provincial and Territorial governments, the National Family and Survivors Circle, National Indigenous Organizations and a wide range of working groups drafted the National Action Plan Ending Violence Against Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQIA+ People (NAP).

The NAP includes a range of short and medium-term actions, some of which are focused on increasing direct support for Indigenous women, men and children who are victims of crime (whether they report the crime or not), in addition to system changes to increase access to justice for Indigenous victims and survivors of crime. Many of these are grounded in the National Inquiry’s Calls for Justice, as well as Call to Action 40 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission:

“We call on all levels of government, in collaboration with Aboriginal people, to create adequately funded and accessible Aboriginal-specific victims’ programs and services with appropriate evaluation mechanisms”

Governments, agencies, and organizations across Canada continue to seek ways to increase and improve access to justice, and to implement actions to address violence against First Nations, Métis and Inuit people.

How can I find more information about the SIVC Initiative?

Victims Fund Manager
Programs Branch
Department of Justice Canada
284 Wellington Street, 6th Floor
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0H8
Telephone: 613-941-4193
E-mail: pb-dgp@justice.gc.ca

Victims Fund