The Ontario Coalition of Rape Crisis Centres is putting #JusticeOnTrial

Across Ontario, survivors are asking the same question: can they trust the legal system to deliver justice?

In the wake of the Jeffrey Sloka verdict, the defeat of Bill 112 (Lydia’s Law), and a growing crisis of confidence in the criminal legal system, the Ontario Coalition of Rape Crisis Centres is speaking out. The problem is not new, but it has become impossible to ignore.

Today, we are putting #JusticeOnTrial.

This is not about a single case, a single court decision, or a single piece of legislation. It is about a much bigger question: can survivors of sexual violence trust that the systems meant to provide justice will treat them fairly, respond to their experiences, and hold harm-doers accountable?

For decades, survivors, advocates, and frontline organizations have been raising concerns about the criminal legal system’s response to sexual violence. We have documented the impact of rape myths and gender bias. We have called attention to barriers to reporting, lengthy delays, case attrition, and a lack of transparency and accountability. We have pushed for reforms, participated in consultations, contributed to reports, and shared our experiences in the hope that future survivors would encounter a more responsive system.Yet many of the same problems remain.

The numbers tell a troubling story. Only 6% of sexual assaults are reported to police. Of those reported, only about 10% result in a conviction. That means the overwhelming majority of survivors never see accountability through the criminal justice system. Those numbers should stop all of us in our tracks. Instead, they have become normalized.

Survivors know what these statistics mean because they live them.

The recent Sloka verdict and Hockey Canada trial has brought many of these concerns into public view. But this moment did not create the problem. It exposed it.

Every year, thousands of sexual assault charges in Ontario are withdrawn, stayed, or otherwise fail to proceed before trial, and the numbers are rising:

2022 – 1,326 cases
2023 – 1,171 cases
2024 – 1,526 cases
2025 – 1,639 cases

Behind every number is a survivor who made the difficult decision to come forward. Many never receive a public explanation. Many never learn what lessons, if any, were taken from their case. Many are left wondering whether the system is capable of holding itself accountable.

These failures are not experienced equally.

Indigenous, Black, racialized, migrant, disabled, Two-Spirit, transgender, non-binary, and low-income survivors often face additional barriers when seeking support, protection, and accountability. Their experiences remind us that access to justice is shaped by systemic inequality and discrimination. Any conversation about justice must recognize these realities.

But concerns about the justice system are not limited to delay, attrition, or transparency.

Survivors continue to encounter rape myths, gender bias, and persistent misunderstandings about trauma at every stage of the process. Too often, credibility is assessed through outdated assumptions about how a survivor should behave, remember, report, or respond to violence. Too often, survivors find themselves scrutinized more intensely than those accused of harming them. The result is a growing crisis of confidence.

For many survivors, the question is not simply whether their case will make it to court. It is whether the justice system is capable of understanding the realities of sexual violence in the first place.

That is why Lydia’s Law mattered. As public confidence in the legal system is deteriorating, the Ontario government rejected one of the few proposals aimed at improving transparency and accountability. Lydia’s Law would not have solved every problem within the justice system. But it would have implemented recommendations from Ontario’s Auditor General and provided the public with better information about how sexual assault cases move (or fail to move) through the courts.

Survivors were not asking for special treatment. They were asking for transparency.

Instead, the government voted it down. At a time when trust in the justice system is already fragile, survivors were told that greater transparency was not a priority.

We reject the idea that this is acceptable. Trust cannot be demanded. It must be earned.

Survivors deserve a justice system that is transparent, accountable, trauma-informed, and free from myths and bias. They deserve institutions that are willing to examine their shortcomings and commit to meaningful change. They deserve more than promises. They deserve action.

In the weeks and months ahead, the Ontario Coalition of Rape Crisis Centres will continue to ask difficult questions about accountability, transparency, access to justice, and the treatment of survivors within Ontario’s criminal legal system.

Because justice itself must be accountable.

Because survivors deserve answers.

Because the concerns being raised today are the same concerns survivors have been raising for years.

And because a justice system that cannot earn the confidence of survivors must be prepared to answer for why.

Today, we are putting #JusticeOnTrial.

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If you are a survivor of sexual violence:

If something has happened to you, please know that there are people who believe and support you.

• You can talk to a friend, family member or other person you trust
• You can contact a sexual assault centre. All support is free and confidential
• If something has happened to you and you are considering reporting, we can help you think through your options. If you are not considering reporting, that’s okay too
• Learn more about sexual assault centres in Ontario here

If you are a friend, family member or mentor, there are things you can do too:

• You can be an ally to sexual violence survivors
• You can listen to the person’s story without judgement
• You can listen to the person’s story without expectations that they formally report
• You can help them to find safe places to get support

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Ontario Coalition of Rape Crisis Centres (OCRCC) is a network of 30+ community-based sexual assault centres in Ontario. If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, go to https://sexualassaultsupport.ca/get-help/.

 

Media Contacts:

Dina Haddish, Members’ Coordinator

coordinator@sexualassaultsupport.ca