Legal advice offered free of charge for sexual violence survivors in Sask.

Saskatchewan survivors of sexual violence can now access two hours of freeadvice from a lawyer.

On Tuesday, the province opened up The Listen Project, an initiativeto help people navigate the justice system.

"We consistently have some of the highest statistics and we know that many people experience sexual violence," saidCrystal Giesbrecht, who is the director of research and communications at the Provincial Association of Transition Houses and Services.

"They don't always reach out for help to police, to service providers, to the justice system."

Furthermore, she said people don't always know if what happened to them was "serious enough" to take action.

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The Listen Project is hosted byPublic Legal Education Association of Saskatchewan (PLEA) and was funded by the federal government.

PLEA connects program applicants with alawyer for their two hours, withan opportunity for more time in complex cases.Theycan speak with the assignedlawyer inperson, over the phone or online.

Currently, about 25 lawyers are on PLEA's roster.

"That reduces a lot of barriers too, because for someone in a remote community, even to travel to the next city or town to get legal advice isn't always feasible,"Giesbrechtsaid.

The program isopen to anyone who hasexperienced incidents like sexual assault, exploitation and harassment as well as historical sexual abuse.

Apolice report isn't required, norare there age orgender restrictions. However, the sexual violence had to have happened in Saskatchewan.

• Justice Canada grants Sask. $739,850 for a four-year pilot project

Giesbrecht said the programcan encourage people who have considered legal action to move forward.

"Retaining a lawyer might not be something they're able to do or something they're ready to do," she said. But when the process is explained, without cost, it can provide a person clarity on how to proceed.

PLEA administrative coordinatorSharon Peterson said lawyers who want to join the program must undergo a training program before they can apply. Then, PLEA will verify that they are in good standing with the Law Society of Saskatchewan.

Their training programexamined legal issues that could arise and focused on working withtraumatized people, she said. For example, they talked about how create safe spaces for in-person consultations.

Each case will look different based on the clients' needs.

"Maybe they're having a family issue related to sexual violence, or something in the workplace," saidJocelynGagne, who is a legal writer for PLEA.

"Maybe they have a human rights complaint based on it or they might have immigration concerns."

One of the biggest goals of theThe Listen Project is to help survivors find a voice,Gagne said.

The pilot project is slated to run until March 2021.

Survivors can contact the program online athttps://listen.plea.org/or by phone1-855-258-9415.