May marks sexual assault awareness month with local shelters and centers working together to get the message out to help end violence against women.
Timmins and Area Women in Crisis, H.E.R. Place, Centre Passerelle pour femmes, Villa RenouvEllement and Tranquility House will be present in the community for the month of May spreading their message via social and traditional media, chalking sidewalks and talking to local community members to help promote awareness.
Jenna Smith, a community outreach worker with the Canadian Mental Health Association and Becky Mason, public education from Timmins and Area Women in Crisis were on hand to make their announcement.
Smith stressed the importance of awareness stating, "Women feel stigmatized after a sexual assault then feel re-victimized when speaking out against her experience. We want to start the conversation to stop blaming the victim."
The social media side of awareness on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Instagram will promote " Survivors Deserve Better " campaign to engage the community to get a conversation going about sexual assault and survivors.
Mason makes a key point, " No one asks for it, it's not the survivor's fault (sexual assault) and we want victims to know they are not alone ".
In a 2009 Canadian national survey, women reported 460,000 incidents of sexual assault in just one year. Only about 10% of all sexual assaults are reported to police. When it comes to sexual assault, women are frequently not believed, blamed for being assaulted, “or subjected to callous or insensitive treatment, when police fail to take evidence, or when their cases are dropped arbitrarily.” Only a handful of reported assaults ever result in a conviction: each year, only about 1,500 sexual assault offenders are actually convicted.
67% of all Canadians say they personally know at least one woman who has been sexually or physically assaulted.
Mason feels that she hopes public awareness is making a difference.
According the CanadianWomen.org, they have positive thoughts for the education of the public.
Although some people may think violence against women is not very serious or is a ‘private’ matter, these attitudes can be changed. Drinking and driving was once treated almost as a joke, but thanks to strong advocacy campaigns, it is no longer socially acceptable and is subject to serious criminal penalities. In the same way, public education, violence prevention programs, and a strong criminal justice response can bring about an end to violence against women in Canada.
Violence prevention works. Research shows that high school violence prevention programs are highly effective. Even years after attending one of our programs, students experienced long-term benefits such as better dating relationships, the ability to recognize and leave an unhealthy relationship, and increased self-confidence, assertiveness, and leadership.
You can help. If your local school doesn’t offer a teen violence prevention program, ask it to start one. And let your elected representatives know that you think violence against women and girls is a serious problem in Canada. Ask them what they are doing to end the violence.
