What started as a few brave women has turned into an international movement, offering a voice to sexual assault survivors closer to home.
The Regina Sexual Assault Centre has seen the number of calls to its office go up.
“The last two months, we’ve seen well over 40 calls a month,” said Lisa Miller, executive director of the centre. “So, a big, big increase.”
That number is double its normal average of 20 calls to the crisis line in a month.
“I think it’s fantastic,” Miller said. “We’re so happy to see more people reaching out and we hope we can provide them with some support and strength. But, I think the true test is going to be when we see increases in reporting rates to police.”
The university may have seen an increase in the number of calls, but that hasn’t translated into more reports of sexual violence.
“People are definitely talking more about it, (but) people aren’t necessarily reporting, formally reporting, more,” said Roz Kelsey with the university.
So far this year, the university has received six formal complaints of sexual assault. Last year, there were eight reports.
“It’s really, really important that people understand that reporting is such a complex number to base anything on, because it’s not accurate,” said Kelsey. “You know it’s more indicative of how much faith people have in the system that they’re reporting to.”
The number of reports to police had gone down 17 per cent this November compared to last. In 2016, there were 136 sexual assaults reported to Regina police. In 2017, there have been 111. The university’s Sexual Assault Centre said one in every four girls under the age of 18 has experienced a sexual assault. One in every three adult woman will experience a sexual assault, along with one in every five men. That number jumps to one in every two for Indigenous women. Miller said those numbers are likely due to poor conviction rates, stigma and the fact that reporting a sexual assault can be a long, drawn-out process, and it should make people angry.
“I think that’s what we’re seeing,” Miller said. “People are just fed up and not taking it anymore, and that makes me hopeful.”
Based on a report by CTV Regina's Ashley Field
