Plain Language Guide to a Sexual Assault Prosecution

A Survivor’s Guide to Sexual Assault Prosecution, newly published by the Nova Scotia Public Prosecution Service, provides sexual assault survivors with plain language information about sexual assault prosecution.

“This booklet is a unique resource to guide survivors through the multiple steps of a sexual assault prosecution, which can be different from prosecutions of other offences,” says Denise Smith, deputy director of Public Prosecutions. “It explains each step of the prosecution, what the sexual assault survivor can expect to happen in court and it provides valuable information on survivor rights and available supports.”

The prosecution process can be intimidating to a victim of any crime, but it can be especially so to a sexual assault survivor who has already endured a deeply personal trauma. If a survivor has not decided whether to report the sexual assault to police this information may help in the decision-making process.

“We wanted the publication to be as effective as possible; to really reach its target audience, so, with the help of federal funding we engaged a research firm to conduct focus testing,” said Ms. Smith. “We listened very carefully to what was said and developed this final product.

“We believe the guide is unique and leading edge in Canada because content was shaped by focus testing specific to sexual assault survivors.”

A series of two-hour discussion groups were conducted in Halifax, Sydney and Wolfville with five groups held in-person and one held online. Four of the groups were recruited from the general public and included females ranging in age from 18 to more than 35 years old. One was a stakeholder group which consisted of those providing direct services to victims and one was a group of those who have experienced sexual violence.

The groups were presented with a draft publication and provided insightful feedback on language, content and design. The Public Prosecution Service incorporated all the suggestions into a new product and came back to the stakeholder and survivors’ group to ensure the brochure hit the mark.

Some of the survivors had these reactions to the guide:

• “It’s very clear, concise, straight to the point, which is what you need in those moments.”
• “It’s called a survivor’s guide and it’s very survivor focused.”
• “It definitely makes the whole process a lot less scary . . . it takes the unknown away, which is what we need.”
• “Visually friendly . . . easy to understand.”

The new brochure is available in English, French and Arabic and can be found online at https://novascotia.ca/pps/Survivor-Guide.asp .