Why Do Survivors of Sexual Violence Seek Out and Benefit From Legal Advice?

With guests Hilary Jahelka (she/they), MSW, RSW and Sasha Best (she/her)Often, people who have been sexually assaulted by other people move through the criminal legal system without truly understanding the process, without knowing why things are unfolding the way they are. The path through the criminal legal system in the context of sexual violence can be confusing – the processes, the people, their roles, the experience of being in court, and what is expected of the person who has been sexually assaulted by another person can all feel overwhelming and unclear.Join Sasha Best and Hilary Jahelka with the Sexual Violence Survivors Legal Advice Program, in conversation with Kiara Mikita, the Sexual Violence Educator for the Cumming School of Medicine (CSM) and Alberta Health Services (AHS), as they discuss the basics of the path through the criminal legal system, address common areas of confusion and misconception about sexual violence and the criminal legal system, and talk about how the Sexual Violence Survivors Legal Advice Program works. They will speak to why people who have been sexually assaulted by other people seek out and benefit from legal advice, and the kinds of questions they are commonly asked.Calgary Legal Guidance offers a number of programs focused on particular areas of law and on specific situations that our clientele may be dealing with. One of these programs is the Sexual Violence Survivors Legal Advice Program.