Saskatoon educator highlights need to better support victims of sexual violence

Trigger warningfor those who have experienced sexual violence or know someone affected by it.

Liars. Attention seekers.These labels areslappedon people who disclose experiences of sexual harassment and violence, saysMorgan Price.

"The survivor or the victim is more often blamed or at least questioned with the validity of what they've experienced," said Price, who is an education and outreach co-ordinator at the Saskatoon Sexual Assault and Information Centre (SSAIC). Price said victims of sexual or domestic violence aren't offered the same "baseline of belief" given to victims of less intimate crimes.

Price says the ideal response to someone who shares their experience would be: "I'm so sorry that happened to you. I believe you. What can I do to help?"

She wants to educate community members how to respond to a victim who opens up.

Price said how someone reacts to a disclosure can alter how they're able to process the trauma in the future for better or worse.

"If the survivor is supported in a healing and validating way, then they're much more likely to continue to access support," she said. "You can imagine the reverse response. Shut down. Silence, shame."

Conversations about creating safer communities and how to respond to disclosures of sexual violence and harassment are afoot in Saskatoon, following the social media post of one woman.

Tiara Jackle alleged a group of well-known men, including two members of pop bandBombargo and one doctor, behaved in a sexually inappropriate and "predatory" manner. She said this took place during a shoot for a promotional video organized by the all-male Saskatoon Yukigassen snowball team in 2016.

Since then, more women have shared allegations against the men named by Jackle and her post has evolved into a movement for change.

'It gives them courage': director

Lisa Miller, executive director of the Regina Sexual Assault Centre, said it's no surprise that one person's experience can spark a movement.

"People are fearful that they are not going to be believed, and when that one brave soul comes forward and says, 'This happened to me,' it is really an opportunity for others that have experienced something similar," Miller said. "It gives them that courage."

She said #MeToo movements give space for survivors but receive widespread backlash. Miller said beyond victim blaming, critics say speaking up on social media "ignores due process."

People suggest that people who were truly violated would have gone to the police.

Miller said many people have found healing by going to the police, but there are also manyreasons why people don't report. The experience can be retraumatizing and complicated, she said. A Globe and Mail investigation in 2017 unveiled a systemic pattern of police agencies deeming large numbers of sexual assault cases "unfounded."

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Miller said if the case is escalated to the courts, the process can last years and convictions are low. She said it can be complicated if there's no evidence beyond a victim's word. Typically, remaining scars are psychological, not physical. Furthermore, she said the justice system isn't equipped to help people dealing with verbal sexual harassment or nuanced issues involving crossed boundaries.

"That's why people resort to using social media, because there's no other effective mechanism for telling their stories."

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Miller said movements like these can give victims the courage beyond speaking up to seek help if they need it. She said the Regina Sexual Assault Centre saw a jump in calls for counselling last year when the capital city experienced a sweeping #MeToo movement. The calls have remained high since, averaging more than one a day.

Miller said social attitudes about sexual violence that involve shame and stigma can also keep victims quiet. Price agrees.

Need to dismantle culture

Price said "rape culture" remains normalized in the community despite efforts to change that through#MeToo movements in recent years, which shone a light on how powerful men can get away with inappropriate behaviour.

She uses a pyramid shape to describe how this culture enables inappropriate behaviour.

At the base are people who laugh at jokes about rape or engage in misogynistic "locker room talk."

"[That] might contribute to no one speaking up when their buddy shows them a nude, which contributes to someone [who] might not speak up if they talk about their night out with a girl who is really drunk," she said. At the highest level, it means people don't hold their friends or colleagues accountable for inappropriate sexual behaviour.

She said this also means many people are quicker to defend the accused, saying, "I know the perpetrator and I know that they would never do that," rather than consider the victim.

Price hopes education will lead to change.

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She co-leadsa SSAIC course called Supporting Survivors of Sexual Violence. Price said the course, which is currently offered virtually, is open to anyone, including non-profit staff, parents, teachers, musicians, filmmakers and athletes. The goal is to bust myths and help people become informed responders should someone ever confide in them.

Price said the course is offered at a cost so SSAIC can continue to offer free counselling to Saskatoon residents. Information about upcoming courses, including one on Thursday, can be found on the non-profit's website.

To find assistance in your area, visit Sexual Assault Services of Saskatchewan (https://sassk.ca/resources/) for a list of support services throughout the province.

In Saskatoon, SSAIC operates a 24/7 crisis line in partnership with Saskatoon Crisis Intervention Service at 306-244-2224. In Regina, the Regina Sexual Assault Centre operates a crisis and information line 306-352-0434 or toll free: 1-844-952-0434.