Imagine walking from your office to your car late at night and having to lace your keys in your fist to fend off any potential attackers.
Because someone had been assaulted in your parking lot only weeks earlier.
Or having to lie about being single in order to protect yourself from a potentially dangerous dating encounter.
Because your best friend was honest and was attacked by someone who knew she was vulnerable.
Those are just two of the awful situations far too many women find themselves having to take action on and be aware of on a daily basis, and they’re the kind of thing the Government of Saskatchewan is hoping to raise awareness of during Sexual Violence Awareness Week from May 16 to 20 in the province.
Sexual assault and information centres in Saskatoon, Battlefords and Regina have collaborated on a #ChooseToSee campaign in order to highlight the many typically unseen actions that women and feminine-identifying individuals are forced into in order to protect themselves from sexual violence on a daily basis.
Actions such as not wearing headphones while jogging, parking under streetlights, texting your location to a friend when on a date and watching your drink when at a bar are just a few examples -- prevention techniques that are generally women-specific, and still aren’t enough in far too many cases.
Even though many women have made it a habit of being aware and protecting themselves however they can, there are still over 600,000 sexual assaults in Canada each year. That has led to the annual campaign that is Sexual Violence Awareness Week, which every year tries to bring further acknowledgement to the impact on safety, freedom and choice that comes with pervasive sexual violence.
In order to help everyone in Saskatchewan learn more about gender-based violence, a series of billboards, ads and a special video have been created and will be displayed across the province throughout the month of May.
For more on the #ChooseToSee campaign and for assistance if you’ve been a victim of sexual violence and wish to seek help, be sure to visit www.reginasexualassaultcentre.ca.
