Multicultural Victim Services Program

Looking for support, help, or information as a victim of crime?

Have you been assaulted by a stranger or your husband or boyfriend?
Have your personal belongings been taken?
Scared or confused and don’t know what, where or who to turn to?

This community-based Victim Services Program provides specialized services to multicultural women and men who are victims of all types of crime in Vancouver. Here’s a free and confidential service for multicultural victims of crimes in Vancouver. These services are delivered with cultural sensitivity and can be in the client’s mother tongue. The program is client-centered so the clients can chose whether or not to report the crime to police or to be involved with the criminal justice system. The purpose of this program is to support victims lessen the impact of crime and trauma and to assist in their recovery.

This is done by offering new immigrants, refugees and multicultural Canadians:

Emotional support – provides clients with someone who will listen to your story, is concerned and will work with you to find a way to deal with the trauma. You do not have to do this alone. The victim services worker can help prioritize what you can do, who can help you ,and where you may go for additional help.

General information – such as safety planning, legal aid, names of lawyers, information on legal options, emergency shelters, transition houses, welfare, housing, health, community centre, daycare and other resources available in the .

Justice-related information – is case-specific information such as the status of the police investigation, if there are charges laid against the offender, protective orders, outcome of court appearances, custodial status of the offender, and length of sentence/parole information. Witness orientation, courtroom etiquette (how to dress, behave while in court) and courtroom procedure (what to expect and what is going on in court).

Practical assistance and support – such as help filling out the Crime Victim Assistance application form, Victim Impact Statements for court purposes, help writing a letter to welfare, hospital, work place, housing, etc. regarding what has happened to you and what kind of assistance you may need from them.

Advocacy – help such as a phone call to your work, welfare office, transition house, emergency shelter, police officer, crown counsel in the courthouse, lawyer, legal aid office, medical professional, or anyone else to access some support and help.

Accompaniment – to the courthouses in Vancouver, legal aid office to apply for legal aid, lawyer’s, police station, welfare and to community resources.

Referrals – can be made to appropriate resources in the community; as well as assistance and support so you can access these services.

Multicultural Victim Services Program also provides information to the different language/cultural communities about violence against women, safety assessment and planning, information about this program and the services offered in this program. This public awareness/education outreach can be done individually or within a group.

You may be a victim of crime if you have been:

Assaulted by your boyfriend, husband, partner or a complete stranger.
Robbed of your personal belongings.
Stalked or harassed by someone you trust (your ex-boyfriend or ex-husband) or by a complete stranger.
Hurt with a knife or any other object.
Sexually assaulted or touched inappropriately without your consent.
Abducted
Afraid of your boyfriend/husband’s possessive and controlling behavior.
Obliged to explain where you spent the monies – what you bought.
Told that police will not believe or understand you if you call them.
Prevented from getting a job, taking English classes, or going for training or upgrading for a job.
Robbed of your wallet, purse or cash at the bank machine.
Told that your child will be taken away, that you will never be able to see your children again.
Threatened that you will lose custody of your children.
Threatened that your immigration or sponsorship status will be affected.
Told constantly that you are fat, ugly or stupid, and cannot do anything right.
Told that everything is your fault – you are to blame.
Told that your family member will be hurt or killed.
Notified that your pet has been hurt or killed.

Referrals to this program can be made by:

Yourself
Friends or family members
Community agencies
Police, social workers, doctors, nurses, hospitals and any other professionals
Other victim services programs

For our English and translated brochures into Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Persian, Punjabi, and Vietnamese click on the language to view the corresponding PDF file.

Related Links
Victim Services in BC (Directory)

Law Link in BC - online legal information service for low-income British Columbians (Legal Services Society)

Client Story:

“Thank you for the guidance and support in the last few months. The work you are doing have made a great impact on my life. To move from a helpless role into an independent role with power seems impossible at times. The skills I learnt have brought me back from darkness to light, from despair to hope.”

“Thank you very much for meeting with me. You were extremely generous with your time and I greatly appreciate it. Our meeting gave me a great deal of strength and resolve. The information touched both my heart and mind.“

“With your support, I learned how to love things in my life and myself. I love sunshine, wind, a cup of tea, herbs on balcony, color of my new lipstick and crispy blanched asparagus… and I feel great about that I finally have a place to live where I can fit in somehow. I’ll not have to hesitate to buy a plant for my room anymore, knowing that I’m gonna be here!”

Program Information

Contact Info:

Available Monday – Friday from 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
After hours contact: VictimLink 1 800 563 0808

1720 Grant St. - 2nd floor
Vancouver, B.C. V5L 2Y7
Phone: 604 254 9626

Funding Source:

Funded by the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General

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