September 2017
Elder mistreatment (abuse, neglect, financial exploitation). Elder mistreatment is a pervasive public health issue with major consequences to older adults and costs to society. Approximately one in ten older adults experience some form of elder mistreatment each year.
The Canadian Criminal Justice System (CJS) is based on the old English common law tradition. One of the most important tenets of the Canadian CJS is that an individual charged with a criminal offence is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a Court of Law.
The Victim Justice Network has created a Criminal Court Process infographic for victims of crime to understand their role. This can be accessed via this link:
http://www.victimjusticenetwork.ca/files/resources/Criminal_court_process_infographic_v3.pdf
Child victims can be subject to physical, emotional or sexual abuse at the hands of people they trust. Children can also become victims of neglect of they are denied the necessities of life. Warning signs of abuse or neglect include poor hygiene, a child isn’t growing and they are often absent from school.