By Colton Swiderski

Counsellors to spread awareness, spur discussion on sexual assault next week

May 13, 2016 | 5:00 PM

Out of all the provinces in Canada, Saskatchewan has the highest amount of reported sexual assaults. To help curb that, the province is working to provide the education, awareness and support for sexual assault week which starts May 16.

Dianna Grabes, executive director for sexual assault services of Saskatchewan, said the province has such a high rate of incidents because of the systemic and historic issues surrounding sexual violence.

“Certainly from our First Nations and Indigenous communities, where it’s never been addressed so it’s endemic in those communities. We haven’t had services available on the reserves or in rural and remote communities so that’s certainly a part of it,” she said.

“It’s not talked about and we don’t acknowledge it so it stays undercover allowing it to perpetuate because of the cycle. So when you have a perpetrator, more often than not a male, if he’s witnessed violence and abuse as a child there’s the potential he could grow up and do that because he doesn’t understand that’s not a healthy way to cope and respond,” Grabes added.

Research has shown a large portion, around 98 per cent of offenders, were abused themselves whether it was sexually, emotionally or physically.

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“We don’t have enough resources to address the issue afterwards and we haven’t put enough effort in to preventing it in the first place,” Grabes said.

During sexual assault awareness week there’s a chance for people to not only learn about the resources in place for assault survivors, but also what is considered assault.

“When you talk about things that’s when people understand and we can break the cycle,” Grabes said.

The Ministry of Justice funds free counselling for victims in 10 agencies in the province, but Grabes said it’s not enough.

“We have a very large province and only 10 agencies so if you live in a rural, remote community it could be very difficult for you to access those services. They could be hours away but we also need to create the awareness and education by letting people know assault is against the law,” she said.

School boards are encouraged to implement an education plan including healthy relationship, sexual education and healthy boundaries into the curriculum but currently only a few schools have done so, she said.

A counsellor with the Battlefords and area sexual assault centre, Heidi Loseth knows all too well the pains a sexual assault survivor goes through.

“I have had a few different assaults over my lifetime. Many people are assaulted more than once by different people in different capacities. I’ve been assaulted by someone who’s close to me and by strangers in various ways,” Loseth said. “Sexual assault can be anything from touching to sexual comments you don’t want.”

Loseth said it’s important to report assaults because it holds the perpetrators accountable.

“Many people don’t want to report their assault because they’re afraid or don’t understand the court system or perhaps don’t have sufficient evidence to have charges laid so they avoid the whole system,” she said.

For each report filed, the RCMP opens a case. Even if nothing happened from the investigation, the alleged perpetrator is named on the file and if there is an additional assault the police have other statements which can help lay charges.

“If you do choose to report it’s very helpful but people won’t because the people who typically perpetrate are people you love, relatives, best friends, intimate partners and people don’t want them to go to jail or charged,” Loseth said adding it’s a choice victims have to make for themselves.

As a councillor for sexual assault victims and being a victim herself, Loseth said she can help survivors because she understands what they are going through.

“I’ve gone through the stages of healing and have come out the other side. I can emphasize, if you don’t understand what it feels like to be assaulted, it’s very difficult to help others,” she said.

For the awareness week, there will be a flag-raising ceremony and barbecue in North Battleford. In Meadow Lake, on Wednesday, May 18 there will be a community awareness night which will host a movie screening and will have staff on hand to answer questions.

cswiderski@jpbg.ca

On twitter: @coltonswiderski