The pandemic has mandated long periods of isolation; creating an epidemic within it that is not as widely noticed by the public as COVID-19 is – the increase of domestic and sexual violence. While not always noticed by the public, the effects of such violence are widely felt, due to the strain on health, justice, and social services resources. Each one of us has been impacted, directly or indirectly, by sexual violence, with the toll of such violence hurting the health of our communities and the people within them.
As we begin to gather again, we need to be aware of these different realities, the prevalence of violence, and the ripple effect this violence has on us all. During Sexual Violence Awareness Week 2022, RSAC is facilitating the campaign #ChooseToSee. As many survivors of sexualized violence begin to ‘return to normal life’, this campaign begs the question to the public, what are you not noticing?
From a young age, people (particularly females and feminine identifying folk) are taught strategies to keep themselves safe and prevent their own assault. These strategies, such as constantly minding your drink and walking with your keys between your fingers/carrying pepper spray, put the responsibility of protection from an assault on the potential victim, simultaneously taking the responsibility away from the potential perpetrator and instilling victim blaming. Many of the strategies people are told to do to ‘protect themselves’ are also ineffective, as 85% of victims know their perpetrator, rendering holding keys between your fingers useless when faced with workplace sexual harassment, sexual abuse at the hands of a family member, or sexual assault perpetrated by an acquaintance or significant other.
We use these protection tactics almost instinctually, unbeknownst to many people who have not experienced sexualized violence. Just as we have taken responsibility to keep one another safe during the pandemic, we must all take responsibility for creating safe environments free from sexualized violence, as well as creating supportive space for disclosures of abuse that occurred behind closed doors during the pandemic. With 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 6 boys experiencing sexualized violence, and 2SLGBTQIA+ folk being placed at an even greater risk, it is time for each person to see the reality of increasing rates of sexualized violence, and work towards being a part of the solution by removing blame from and believing survivors.
For more information and to seek support, please visit https://reginasexualassaultcentre.ca/ or call 306-522-2777.
