Institutional Abuse Lawyers Grande Prairie

An estimated 1.8 million residents of Alberta have been the subjects of sexual violence. That means almost one in two members of the local population have been assaulted, abused, or exploited in a sexual manner, oftentimes by someone they thought they could trust.

As a result of the abuse to which they were subjected, survivors of sexual violence often develop severe mental health disorders, as well as unhealthy coping mechanisms. People who have been subjected to sexual violence are 13 times more likely to develop alcoholism and 26 times more likely to develop substance use disorders than those who have not suffered abuse.

Struggles with addiction and other mental health disorders can have expensive repercussions. Survivors of institutional abuse may find it difficult to secure stable employment, and may require psychological counseling, psychiatric treatments, addition recovery services, and other expensive measures to cope with their trauma.

But these are not the only financial impacts routinely suffered by survivors of institutional abuse. Many people who were abused by trusted authority figures in their childhoods or teenage years often find it impossible to complete their education. This could result in a failure to reach their fullest earning potential, and a reduced future earning capacity throughout their adult lives.

Institutional abusers often seek out employment or volunteer opportunities in settings that place them in close proximity to children, young people, or members of vulnerable communities who they believe can be more easily manipulated or coerced into non-consensual sexual activities. As such, sexual predators tend to find work as:

• Teachers
• Religious leaders
• Sports coaches
• Scout leaders
• Camp counselors
• Extra curricular programme administrators
• Caregivers
• Foster parents
• Juvenile detention centre guards
• Psychiatric hospital employees
• And more

In many instances, a institutional abuser’s employer or other entity (such as a governing body overseeing their conduct in the workplace) may learn that they are engaging in sexual misconduct and subjecting people in their care to abuse without taking any actions to reprimand them or put a stop to their criminality. This is often referred to as “systemic” or “institutional” institutional abuse.

If it can be proven that a sexual predator’s employer or another organization responsible for introducing the abuser to their targets was guilty of systemic or institutional institutional abuse, that entity might be considered liable for damages incurred by the abuser’s victims. That means, by working with our Grande Prairie institutional abuse lawyers, you may be able to hold the parties and entities responsible for your experience accountable for their actions.

In accordance with the province’s Limitations Act, there is no time limit on institutional abuse claims. That means that, even if your abuse took place many years ago, you might still be eligible to pursue a civil claim to recover damages you have incurred as a result of being abused. To learn more about working with our institutional abuse lawyers serving Grande Prairie, contact us today and receive a free initial consultation on your case.

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Our Grande Prairie institutional abuse lawyers are passionate about fighting on behalf of people who were subjected to the criminal actions of sexual predators. To learn how we may be able to help you get the closure and compensation you deserve, contact us and speak with our institutional abuse lawyers serving Grande Prairie today.