Sexual assault calls triple to Fredericton centre

After callstoits support line tripled this year, the Fredericton Sexual Assault Centre isseeking more volunteers to respond.

Jenn Gorham, the program co-ordinator for the centre, said she thinks several factors have brought more calls, butmostlythey're the result of referrals from other service providers and agencies.

Historically, the centre receives about 100 to 120 calls a year but has seen three times that number since the beginning of the year, Gorham said.

She couldn't say whether it may be the result of an increase in sexual assaults in the city but said there is definitely more public awareness of the issue.

"It's definitely kind of in the ether," she told Information Morning Fredericton. "And I think that you've also seen an erosion of the stigma of sexual violence."

Volunteers feel the pressure

The centre gets a number of calls from people who just need someone to talk to, and others from people looking for resources.

The centre has also seen an increase in calls from people dealing with significant mental health or physical challenges as a result of being sexually assaulted, she said.

Because calls have gone up, volunteers are starting to feel additional pressure and more of what Gorham calls "vicarious trauma."

Vicarious trauma, she said, is the idea that a person exposed to someone else's trauma can experience comparable responses.

This can manifest in the form of nightmares, increased anxiety and even depression, she said.

"This type of work has impacts, so we want to make sure we're taking care of people doing this work," she said.

Rigorous training

Volunteers at the centre go through about two months of training before they're on the front line.

They are also required to provided references and go through a criminal record check.

After a volunteer isinterviewed, the training process begins.

"That can be screening itself, as they realize what they're in for," Gorham said.

Most of the centre's volunteers are university students, as it gives them front-line experience working with people in crisis, Gorham said.

In addition to taking shifts on the centre's support line, volunteers may at times accompany those who have been sexually assaulted to the hospital or police station.

Those interested in volunteering can go to the centre's websiteor call their office's business line at 506-454-0460.