Overview of Measures to Protect Privacy for Victims of Crime

When authorizing the prosecution of an accused person, the criminal and penal prosecuting attorney (the prosecutor) may decide to identify you, as the victim, using only your initials and date of birth in the public documents prepared for the trial.

This is done in particular circumstances, for example if you are the victim of a violent crime, to protect you against intimidation and retaliation, or if you are under the age of 18.

In all cases, the prosecuting attorney will protect your contact information at all times. Your address and telephone number will not be given to the defence lawyer during the disclosure of the evidence against the accused. The general public will also not have access to this information.

At your request, or at the request of the prosecuting attorney, a judge may prohibit the publication of information that can be used to identify you, by ordering a publication ban.

At your request or with your consent, the judge can lift the ban in certain cases.

If you are the victim of sexual violence, the prosecuting attorney can ask the judge to limit

• the disclosure, to the accused and the defence lawyer, of personal information contained in documents such as your medical record;
• the admission in evidence of information about your sexual activity. 

A decision by the judge in one of these matters is applicable as soon as it is made and lasts for the duration of the judicial proceedings.