A new report from a Vancouver-based non-profit has found that a majority of B.C.’s courthouses are unsafe for victims of intimate partner violence, and often fail to meet accessibility standards.
The report from Rise Women’s Legal Centre found that, out of 73 courthouses that were studied, 42 per cent didn’t include enough space for someone who used a wheelchair or crutches.
In addition, two-thirds of the court locations did not have multiple entrances and exits, and almost none had multiple ways to get in and out of courtrooms themselves.
Kyla Lee, a lawyer at Acumen Law in Vancouver, said the report wasn’t surprising to read, and it was the first one of this nature in B.C.
“For people coming [to court] for the first time, for one of the most stressful or terrifying days of their lives, we are not considering what their experience in the building is like and how that can continue to perpetuate trauma,” she said.
Lee said that, in the past, courthouse safety was often thought about purely in terms of physical violence that sheriffs help to protect against.
“We’re not thinking about people’s emotional safety. We’re not thinking about people’s mental health and their wellbeing in the courthouse,” she said.
“Our society is becoming more understanding of the ways in which harm can be done, not just invisible physical ways, but also in non-visible emotional and psychological ways,” she added.
