From The FREDA Centre:
*This post does contain discussion about sexual assault and violence* The Western Centre for Research & Education on Violence Against Women & Children is hosting a webinar in collaboration with the FREDA Centre entitled, “Hearing Women’s Voices: AB v Henry”. This presentation is taking place on Monday, May 12 from 11am – 12:30pm PST/ 2:00pm – 3:30pm EST. For more information about the speakers and the register, follow the link here
In the BC Supreme Court decision of AB v Henry, 2025 BCSC 137, Madam Justice Gropper confirmed what five sexual assault victims have said for over four decades: that Ivan Henry was the man who sexually assaulted them at knifepoint in Vancouver in the early 1980s. Justice Gropper found that “each plaintiff has met her burden: to establish that Mr. Henry is the man who attacked her, on the balance of probabilities.” She awarded damages to each of them. This was a remarkable finding in an extraordinary case.
In this conversation, the lawyers who represented the women plaintiffs in their civil case against Henry will reflect with Professor Emma Cunliffe on what we can learn about the Canadian legal system, the progress of women’s rights to the equal protection and benefit of the law, and truth telling, from the extraordinary course of the Henry case.
The focuses and objectives of the this webinar presentation are the following:
- Examine the Role of Victims’ Voices in the Legal System: Explore how the AB v Henry case highlights systemic gaps in ensuring that survivors of sexual assault are heard, supported, and believed throughout the legal process, especially in cases involving wrongful convictions and civil litigation.
- Understand the Legal and Social Complexities of the Henry Case: Analyze the legal significance of the 2025 BC Supreme Court ruling in affirming Ivan Henry’s responsibility for sexual assaults, despite his prior acquittal, and its impact on public narratives of justice and innocence.
- Reflect on the Evolution of Women’s Rights and Legal Protections: Consider how this case reflects broader issues regarding the progress of women’s rights to equal protection and benefit of the law within the Canadian legal system.
- Promote Survivor-Centered Legal Practices: Identify ways the legal system can better support survivors of sexual violence—particularly in complex, high-profile cases—by ensuring trauma-informed, inclusive, and transparent processes.
About FREDA Centre for Research on Violence Against Women and Children
The FREDA Centre is a member of the Alliance of Canadian Research Centres on Gender-Based Violence, formed in 1996 by the five initial violence research centres. As a joint collaboration between academics at Simon Fraser University and community and women’s organizations working at the grass-roots level, the FREDA Centre is committed to participatory action research, focused specifically on violence against women and children, and works in the interests of the community to end this violence. The mandate of the FREDA Centre is to facilitate and conduct research on violence against women and children, in order to raise awareness and effect policy.
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