Edmundston Sexual Abuse Lawyer
People who have been sexually abused often experience overwhelming emotional and psychological trauma which can last for years or even decades. People who were abused as children or teenagers often carry their trauma with them throughout adulthood, and do their best to cope with the emotional repercussions of their abuse in any way they can.
Unfortunately, many survivors of sexual abuse develop unhealthy or self-destructive coping mechanisms to try grappling with traumatic experiences in their past. The psychological toll of surviving sexual abuse can impacts important areas of a victim’s life, including their ability to develop and maintain romantic relationships. Some sexual abuse survivors develop addictive behaviours, engage in self-harm, and in many truly unfortunate circumstances, attempt or complete suicide.
If you are in distress, contact the Canada Suicide Prevention Service at 833-456-4566.
Sexual abuse involves an exploitation of power. The perpetrators of sexual abuse prey upon their victims’ dependence upon them, exploit the trust they have placed in them, or abuse their positions of authority within a larger institution in order to engage in non-consensual sexual activity. Minors are not capable of giving consent for sexual activities. Even teenagers who have reached the age of consent but are still not legally considered adults cannot give informed consent to people in positions of trust, authority, or dependency. These figures may include:
- Teachers
- Religious figures
- Sports coaches
- Camp counsellors
- Foster parents
- Guards at correctional facilities
- Psychiatric hospital staff
- And more
When adults use their positions of power to coerce or manipulate their victims, threaten them, or use physical force in order to engage in non-consensual sexual activity have committed sexual abuse. While the perpetrators of these crimes may be able to go about their lives without giving their abusive behaviour a second thought, their victims may be unable to ever truly recover from the experience.
In addition to the emotional turmoil and psychological distress that often arises from sexual abuse, survivors often go to great expense to address the trauma from their past. Sexual abuse survivors may find themselves paying high fees out-of-pocket for years of psychological counselling, psychiatric treatment, and other expenses necessary for their recovery. Moreover, if the mental health issues they developed as a direct result of their abuse prevented survivors from completing their education or training, they may have sustained lifelong financial losses related to their reduced future earning capacities.
At Preszler Injury Lawyers, we appreciate that no amount of money will be able to change the past or heal the emotional wounds you continue to carry with you because of your abuse. However, our sexual abuse lawyers serving Edmundston may be able to help you pursue a civil claim for damages you have incurred or will incur in the future because of another person’s criminal behaviour.
No matter how long ago your abuse occurred, by working with our Edmundston sexual abuse lawyers, you may be able to recover financial compensation. Depending on the circumstances of your case, our sexual abuse lawyers serving Edmundston may be able to help you pursue legal action against your abuser and the organization that introduced you to them.
That is because sexual abuse often occurs inside the larger structure of an institution or organization, such as schools, religious institutions, or correctional facilities. If the leadership of these organizations learns that one of its employees has exploited their trusted positions of authority to sexually abuse the young or vulnerable people in their care, they must take immediate actions. If an organization fails to report a known sexual abuser to the authorities and remove them from their staff, essentially, they create a consequence-free environment for criminals to continue preying on young or vulnerable people. Perpetuating this cycle of abuse by turning a blind eye to it at an organizational level is referred to as systemic or institutional sexual abuse.
To learn about options that may be available to you based on the circumstances of your case, schedule a free initial consultation with our Edmundston sexual abuse lawyers.
Free Consultation for Edmundston Residents – We Don’t Get Paid Unless We Win
At Preszler Injury Lawyers, we appreciate how difficult it can be to talk about traumatic events of the past. Our sexual abuse lawyers serving Edmundston are committed to helping the victims of abuse in our community find they justice they deserve. To learn how we may be able to help with your case, schedule your free initial consultation with our Edmundston sexual abuse lawyers.
