Rise Portfolio

Does Geography Impact Access to Justice? Access to Evidence Collection in Rural and Remote Communities

Setting Out (what was agreed to)

Access to justice shouldn’t depend on your geography — yet for too many survivors across Canada, it does. We worked with She Matters and the Yukon Aboriginal Women’s Council to examine The study examines the factors limiting survivors’ access to forensic evidence collection in the Yukon, Northern BC, and Northern Ontario and answer the following research question: Does Geography Impact Access to Justice? Access to Evidence Collection in Rural and Remote Communities? This 2025 work built on She Matters 2021 project “Silenced: Canada’s Sexual Assault Evidence Kit Accessibility Crisis, a 12-month study of sexual assault evidence kit accessibility in Canada.

Objectives

• Research the impact of geography on care and forensic evidence access for survivors.
• Investigate the lived experiences and challenges of survivors seeking care.
• Identify critical interactions survivors say would honour and improve post-assault healing
• Explore/ideate trauma-wise emergent, patient, and discharge care pathways to enhance short-term well-being and mitigate longer-term psychological and physical impacts from unresolved and multiple-occurring traumas, such as the onset of chronic pain later in life.

The Journey Walked and Gifts Gathered

Drawing upon a genocide-informed and trauma-wise lens, this 2025 study integrated Indigenous Storywork and Indigenous Focusing Oriented Therapy (IFOT) (Archibald, 2008; Tipple, 2021; Turcotte & Schiffer, 2014). Sixty-two participants, Indigenous and non-Indigenous survivors and service providers (Northern Ontario, Northern British Columbia, and Yukon) shared their lived experiences. The research exposed the systemic inequities across Northern, rural, and remote regions — where gaps in healthcare infrastructure, insufficient training, systemic racism and discrimination, and inconsistent provincial protocols create widespread inequities in access to timely, trauma-informed forensic care and support. First responses matter. Medical and insidious trauma compound the initial trauma of sexual assault, affect future decision-making on care, and impact long-term physical and mental health. Geographical barriers and poor access to evidence collection further amplify trauma. Survivor’s agency, culturally relevant care, and addressing remote access challenges are crucial. Eleven recommendations were made at the close of the research.

The Impact

Supporting survivors through the creation of clear direction to create or update care pathways that meet survivors where they are — ensuring geography is never a barrier to accessing justice or healing.