About the BAVAC

The crime victims assistance office, or BAVAC (Bureau d'aide aux victimes d'actes criminels) is affiliated with the Ministère de la Justice and was created by the Act respecting assistance for victims of crime enacted in 1988. The mission of the BAVAC is to promote the rights of victims as recognized in its constituent Act and to see to the development of services to assist the victims. To that end, the role of the BAVAC is to promote the establishment of crime victims assistance centres (CAVACS), and to support their setting up and ensure their presence throughout Québec.

Over the past three years, the BAVAC has taken part in the setting up of four CAVACS, and in the creation of a fifth in Nunavik. Three Canada-Québec agreements were signed giving the BAVAC a sum of $700,000 to review the documentation that is given to victims, to create a new visual identity for the CAVAC network, and to organize a promotional campaign with its natural partners including the police, community organizations, justice representatives and education representatives. In addition, the financial assistance enabled a pilot project in the Montréal and Estrie CAVACs to be implemented to offer services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The success of the initiative has resulted in the project being extended with the costs now being assumed by the CAVACs concerned.

The BAVAC has also developed a successful partnership with Desjardins Financial Security, which contributed financially to the information campaign conducted with the first stakeholders.