Your rights as a victim
As a victim of crime, you have rights. You must, however, inform the CETM if you wish to exercise them. How? You first need to obtain victim status and to tell the CETM what information you would like to receive. You are entitled to the following:You have the right to know where and when hearings will be held
Notices of Hearing include the date, time and place of the hearing. If you have victim status, the CETM will send you these notices automatically if you so request. If, at some point, you no longer wish to receive them, simply ask the CETM to stop sending them to you. Although anyone may attend most CETM hearings, some hearings may be held in closed session, in which case only the persons involved in the hearing may attend.You have the right to receive the notice of conditional release of the accused and their planned place of residence
The CETM may not give you the exact address, however.You have the right to receive the CETM’s decisions and the conditions imposed on the accused
Only the information that concerns you will be legible, however. The rest will be redacted (obscured or removed).If you prefer to remain anonymous
Some victims wish to prohibit the publication or broadcast of any information that could identify them.
If this is your case, you may ask the CETM to issue a publication ban.
In certain situations, the CETM judges are obligated to impose such an order if that is what you wish. In other situations, however, the judges can decide whether or not to grant your request. Their decision is based not only on your wishes but on other factors, such as the right of the accused to a fair and public hearing.
If it is requested, a publication ban is obligatory in the following situations:
- victims of sexual offences
- witnesses of sexual offences that are under 18
- all victims who are under 18 (regardless of the offence)
Hearings are not held in private
CETM hearings are generally public. That means that even if a publication ban is imposed by the CETM, members of the public may still attend the hearing. No one, however, will be permitted to publish or broadcast information that could be used to identify you—neither on social media nor anywhere else.You can change your mind
If you wish to have your identity known, you have the right to request a revocation of the publication ban. Once you inform the prosecution of your wishes, they will submit a request on your behalf.Why does it matter to know my rights?
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Victim support and advocacy organizations can help you submit these requests and ensure your rights are respected.
Are you moving?
Don’t forget to inform the CETM of your change of address and telephone number to make sure you receive the information to which you are entitled.
