The outcome of the hearing of Supreme Court nominee Brad Kavanaugh is making waves around the world, including here at home in Regina.
On Friday afternoon, Kavanaugh made it through a key procedural hurdle. But, his confirmation process is still uncertain after the Republicans agreed to ask the FBI to investigate sexual allegations against him. U.S. President Donald Trump has directed the FBI to launch a supplemental investigation, saying it “must be limited in scope” and “completed in less than a week.”
Lani Elliott has been following the proceedings closely. She was sexually assaulted at a party in Manitoba when she was 18 — and stayed silent for 30 years.
“Everything that happened to me on that day wasn’t my fault,” she said. “I didn’t assault myself.”
The Regina Sexual Assault Centre says one in five girls and one in four girls will be sexually abused before the age of 18. The centre has seen an increase in calls since the Me Too movement began. Calls to its mobile crisis line have doubled.
“This solidarity and this wave of support for people has also made it a lot easier for people to talk about their own experiences publicly,” said Lisa Miller, executive director of the Regina Sexual Assault Centre.
The YWCA also offers services for abuse survivors. Senior director Kendra Strong-Garcia says it will send the wrong message to women and girls if Kavanaugh does get Senate support for his Supreme Court bid.
“(We) really try to advocate and educate and promote women and young girls to come forward and share their accounts and their allegations and feel safe,” she said. “We tell them that we’re going to believe them and then something like this happens, which is the exact opposite.”
Kavanaugh says he will continue to cooperate with the Senate as the investigation goes forward.
With files from CTVNews.ca
