CTV News on CTV - Canadian television's online home for news and entertainment

The federal government has pledged $1.8 million to support victims of crime in Saskatchewan.

Justice Minister Rob Nicholson says the funding announced Wednesday aims to improve programs and services to victims of crime in the province, particularly children. The money will go toward:

• Making it easier and less stressful for children to provide full and candid testimony in criminal court proceedings. This includes doing so from outside the courtroom or through witness screens.

• Giving families of missing persons, including the families of murdered and missing Aboriginal women, easier access to specialized support and services.

• Providing consistent, responsive, timely, and culturally sensitive support services to victims of crime and traumatic events in northern Saskatchewan.

• Ensuring victims services workers have access to the training and learning resources they need and opportunities to collaborate with colleagues to share best practices.

In a news release, Saskatchewan Justice Minister Don Morgan applauded the funding announcement.

"Too often, in the past, victims' needs have been left behind in the criminal justice system and these programs go a long way to correcting that," Morgan said.