If the person is the sponsor and is in Canada, the first thing I would do is tell them to go to the police. As I said earlier, people who are in Canada at least have the advantage of the protections we have here in Canada. The problem is if it's the foreign national, it's a much more difficult situation, because there could be family situations; they could be under threat from their own family or from the husband's family, and the police in their country might not be particularly helpful.
As lawyers, my two colleagues here can attest to the same thing: when you're representing both parties in the sponsorship application or in an appeal, that puts you in a conflict of interest. Then as counsel, you end up having to withdraw and you can't help either side.